The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the therapeutic effect of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) and haemodynamic features in the short gastric vein (SGV) in patients with gastric fundal varices (GV). The subjects in this retrospective cohort study comprised 34 patients who had moderate- or large-grade GV with the SGV both on retrograde venography and Doppler ultrasound. The diameter, flow velocity and flow volume in the SGV measured by Doppler ultrasound before B-RTO with 1 h balloon occlusion were compared with the therapeutic effect. Embolisation of GV was achieved in 30/34 patients (88.2%): 27 by initial B-RTO and 3 by second B-RTO. Flow velocity and flow volume in the SGV before B-RTO were significantly lower in the 27 patients with a complete effect on initial B-RTO (7.19+/-2.44 cm s(-1), p = 0.0246; 189.52+/-167.66 ml min(-1), p = 0.002) than in the 7 patients with an incomplete effect (10.41+/-5.44 cm s(-1), 492.14+/-344.94 ml min(-1)). Neither endoscopy nor contrast-enhanced CT had recurrent findings of GV in the subject during the follow-up period (94-1440 days; mean, 487.2+/-480.5 days). In conclusion, haemodynamic evaluation of the SGV using Doppler ultrasound may be useful for the prediction of the therapeutic effect of B-RTO.