1988 Volume 30 Issue 6 Pages 1198-1204_1
Endoscopic sclerosing therapy of esophageal varices using 5% ethanolamine oleate as a sclerosant was performed in 27 patients with liver cirrhosis. In 7 cases, the varices and esophageal tissues around them became necrotic and finally fell into the esophageal canal after the sclerosing therapy. In these cases, relatively large amounts of sclerosant had been correctly injected into the varicose veins. Several days following the injections, turbid white-yellowish elevated lesions were found on the oral portion of the injection along the varices. They were desquamated within 2 weeks and the varices on the oral portion disappeared. In 2 cases, the lesions were taken biopsies. Histologically, the varices and small blood vessels around them were completely occluded by thrombus. The esophageal tissue around the varices became degenerative and necrotic. In the followed up study, the curative eradication effects of the esophageal varices continued for a much longer time in cases showing desquamation than in the cases showing simple thrombosis without desquamation. It is thus evident that necrosis and desquamation of the esophageal varices following sclerosing therapy are important for the eradication or disappearance of the varices. The precise mechanism for desquamation of the varices still remains to be determined.
