Background: The understanding on the long-term effect of endoscopic therapy for gastric fundal varices (FV) is still insufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the long-term effect of the endoscopic injection therapy with combined cyanoacrylate (CA) and absolute ethanol (ET) for FV, and the portal hemodynamics.
Methods: The subjects of this retrospective study were ten consecutive cirrhotic patients with bleeding FV treated by endoscopic injection therapy with combined CA and ET. Percutaneous transhepatic portography was done after the completion of endoscopic treatment to assess portal hemodynamics.
Results: All the patients showed hemostasis by CA injection and complete obturation of FV by combined therapy of 5.6 +/- 2.1 (3-9) times without any severe complications except for gastric ulcer in one case. Five patients had recurrence (50%), and three of them showed rebleeding (30%). The other five patients had no recurrence during a mean observation period of 5.58 years (1190-2735 days). Although recurrence did not correlate with portal venous pressure, it was significantly frequent in patients without advanced portosystemic collateral vessels (5/7, P = 0.0384) compared to patients with them (0/3).
Conclusions: Endoscopic injection therapy combining CA and ET may be effective for FV. Significant development of portosystemic collateral vessels would support long-term therapeutic effect after this treatment.