Bleeding esophageal varices are very swollen veins in the walls of the lower part of the esophagus (the tube that connects your throat to your stomach) that begin to bleed.
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsScarring (cirrhosis) of the liver is the most common cause of esophageal varices. This scarring prevents blood from flowing through the liver. As a result, more blood flows through the veins of the esophagus.
This extra blood flow causes the veins in the esophagus to balloon outward. If these veins break open (rupture), they can cause severe bleeding.
Any cause of chronic liver disease can cause varices.
The swollen veins (varices) can also occur in the upper part of the stomach.
SymptomsPeople with chronic liver disease and esophageal varices may have no symptoms.
If there is only a small amount of bleeding, the only symptom may be dark or black streaks in the stools.
If larger amounts of bleeding occur, symptoms may include:
Physical examination:
Tests to determine where the bleeding is coming from and detect active bleeding include:
Some doctors recommend EGD for patients who are newly diagnosed with mild-to-moderate cirrhosis to screen for esophageal varices and treat them before there is bleeding.
TreatmentThe goal of treatment is to stop acute bleeding as soon as possible, and treat varices with medicines and medical procedures. Bleeding must be controlled quickly to prevent shock and death.
If massive bleeding occurs, the patient may be placed on a ventilator to protect the airways and prevent blood from going down into the lungs.
Treatments for acute bleeding:
Once the bleeding is stopped, varices can be treated with medicines and medical procedures to prevent future bleeding:
Emergency surgery may be used (rarely) to treat patients if other therapy fails. Portocaval shunts or surgery to remove the esophagus are two treatment options, but these procedures are risky.
Patients with bleeding varices from liver disease may need additional treatment of their liver disease, including a liver transplant.
Expectations (prognosis)Bleeding often comes back without treatment. Bleeding esophageal varices are a serious complication of liver disease and have a poor outcome.
ComplicationsCall your health care provider or go to an emergency room if you vomit blood or have black tarry stools.
PreventionTreating the causes of liver disease may prevent bleeding. Preventive treatment of varices with medications such as beta blockers or with endoscopic banding may help prevent bleeding. Liver transplantation should be considered for some patients.
ReferencesGarcia-Tsao G, Sanyal AJ, Grace ND, Carey WD; Practice Guidelines Committee of American Association for Study of Liver Diseases; Practice Parameters Committee of American College of Gastroenterology. Prevention and management of gastroesophageal varices and variceal hemorrhage in cirrhosis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007;102:2086-2102.
Garcia-Tsao G. Cirrhosis and its sequellae. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 157.
Bleeding esophageal varices are very swollen veins in the walls of the lower part of the esophagus (the tube that connects your throat to your stomach) that begin to bleed.
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsScarring (cirrhosis) of the liver is the most common cause of esophageal varices. This scarring prevents blood from flowing through the liver. As a result, more blood flows through the veins of the esophagus.
This extra blood flow causes the veins in the esophagus to balloon outward. If these veins break open (rupture), they can cause severe bleeding.
Any cause of chronic liver disease can cause varices.
The swollen veins (varices) can also occur in the upper part of the stomach.
SymptomsPeople with chronic liver disease and esophageal varices may have no symptoms.
If there is only a small amount of bleeding, the only symptom may be dark or black streaks in the stools.
If larger amounts of bleeding occur, symptoms may include:
Physical examination:
Tests to determine where the bleeding is coming from and detect active bleeding include:
Some doctors recommend EGD for patients who are newly diagnosed with mild to moderate cirrhosis to screen for esophageal varices and treat them before there is bleeding.
TreatmentThe goal of treatment is to stop acute bleeding as soon as possible, and treat varices with medicines and medical procedures. Bleeding must be controlled quickly to prevent shock and death.
If massive bleeding occurs, the patient may be placed on a ventilator to protect the airways and prevent blood from going down into the lungs.
Treatments for acute bleeding:
Once the bleeding is stopped, varices can be treated with medicines and medical procedures to prevent future bleeding:
Emergency surgery may be used (rarely) to treat patients if other therapy fails. Portocaval shunts or surgery to remove the esophagus are two treatment options, but these procedures are risky.
Patients with bleeding varices from liver disease may need additional treatment of their liver disease, including a liver transplant.
Expectations (prognosis)Bleeding often comes back without treatment. Bleeding esophageal varices are a serious complication of liver disease and have a poor outcome.
ComplicationsCall your health care provider or go to an emergency room if you vomit blood or have black tarry stools.
PreventionTreating the causes of liver disease may prevent bleeding. Preventive treatment of varices with medications such as beta blockers or with endoscopic banding may help prevent bleeding. Liver transplantation should be considered for some patients.
ReferencesGarcia-Tsao G, Sanyal AJ, Grace ND, Carey WD; Practice Guidelines Committee of American Association for Study of Liver Diseases; Practice Parameters Committee of American College of Gastroenterology. Prevention and management of gastroesophageal varices and variceal hemorrhage in cirrhosis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007;102:2086-2102.
Garcia-Tsao G. Cirrhosis and its sequellae. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 157.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 01/20/2010
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
a treatment for esophageal bleeding that involves the use of an endoscope and the injection of a sclerosing solution into veins.
In most hospitals, sclerotherapy for esophageal varices is the treatment of choice to stop esophageal bleeding during acute episodes, and to prevent further incidences of bleeding.
The main danger of death with esophageal varices is if they rupture, causing massive bleeding into the esophagus (windpipe). If a patient has had a previous rupture of their esophageal varices, they have a 70% chance of it bleeding again, and each time the vessels rupture there is about a 30% chance of it being fatal. If you have esophageal varices, then it is a condition you should consult with your doctor about. It needs adequate management to help prevent rupture, and also to treat the underlying cause (most often cirrhosis).
The CPT code for "direct ligation of esophageal varices" is 43400.
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endescopy?
Once the esophageal varices rupture , it will compromised of Hemodynamic Stability of the patient andrisk of aspiration it,s more likely. As we known esophageal vein supply is from portal vein , so it should aggressively treated when the ruptureishappened. The managment is included Emergent Endoscopic and if the bleeding uncontrollable , surgery is more likely
Esophageal varices are abnormal, enlarged veins in the lower portion of the esophagus. They develop when blood flow to the liver is slowed, and blood gets backed up into the smaller vessels of the esophagus.
varicose
The symptoms of esophageal varices are vomiting blood, black stool and in severe cases shock. An esophageal varice is also a sign of liver disease. Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes, is a common sign of this.
Esophageal varices are extremely dilated sub-mucosal veins in the lower third of the esophagus. Hemorrhoids are groups of veins in the region of the anus.
Bleeding varices are bleeding, dilated (swollen) veins in the esophagus (gullet), or the upper part of the stomach, caused by liver disease.