Based on a review of 66 patients with the Mallory-Weiss syndrome, the problems of diagnosis and treatment in general, and the application of sclerotherapy in particular in patients with bleeding tears is discussed. At emergency endoscopy 32 patients (48.4%) had an acute bleeding episode which could be stopped by sclerotherapy in 26 of 27 cases. The importance of control endoscopy after 48 hours and its influence on prognosis are emphasized.