A Modified Percutaneous Transhepatic Varices Embolization With 2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate in the Treatment of Bleeding Esophageal Varices

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of a modified percutaneous transhepatic variceal embolization (PTVE) with 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (2-OCA) on the prevention and treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding. METHODS: Between March 2002 and December 2005, PTVE was attempted in 92 patients with esophageal varices, 74 patients with recent variceal bleeding, 18 patients with acute variceal bleeding. The 2-OCA was injected into the entire lower esophageal and periesophageal or paraesophageal varices, the cardial submucosal, and perforating vessels. RESULTS: PTVE was successfully performed in 89 of 92 patients, providing a procedural success rate of 96.7%. According to the distribution of injected 2-OCA, 3 types of variceal embolization were defined, esophagogastric obliteration (n=42), gastric obliteration (n=34), and main left gastric vein obliteration (n=13). Acute variceal bleeding was immediately arrested in all 18 (100%) patients after the procedure. During the median follow-up period of 37 months, the total rebleeding rate was 19.1% (17/89), with the rate being higher in patients with main left gastric vein obliteration 46.1% (6/13) than in patients with esophagogastric obliteration 9.5% (4/42) or with gastric obliteration 20.6% (7/34, P<0.05). Total survival rate was 74.4%, with the rate being significantly higher in patients with esophagogastric obliteration and gastric obliteration than that in patients with left gastric vein obliteration demonstrated by Kaplan-Meier analysis (P<0.001, log-rank test). There was 1 patient with fatal bleeding at the puncture site after the PTVE procedure, and 1 patient with slight pulmonary embolism; there were no other major procedure-related complications. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of PTVE with 2-OCA on esophageal varices is associated with the site and range of embolization. With the lower esophageal and periesophageal varices and/or the cardial submucosal and perforating vessels are sufficiently obliterated, PTVE with 2-OCA can improve long-term efficacy by preventing varices recurrence and rebleeding.