1992 Volume 34 Issue 7 Pages 1557-1563
The purpose of this study is to clarify the distribution of sclerosant injected into the paravariceal esophageal wall. CT scan of the chest was performed 30 minutes after combined injection sclerotherapy (EIS) using 1% Polidocanol (Aethoxysklerol ; AS) in 23 patients with esophageal varices. CT findings included (1) ring-enhanced esophageal wall (2) ring-enhanced paraesophageal wall (3) locally enhanced esophageal wall (4) beltlike-enhanced parietal pleura. Types (1) (2) (4) were obtained in the 1st or the 2nd EIS, and type (3) was obtained in the 3rd EIS or more. These CT findings did not correlate with total volume of injected sclerosant. Seven of 8 patients with CT finding of Type (3) had esophageal ulcer. (We consider that esophageal ulcer is necessary to fibrosis of the lower eshophageal wall). When CT finding of type (3) was obtained, we put off the next procedure of EIS. Pleural effusion occured after 2 of 18 procedures with CT finding of type (1), 2 of 9 with type (2), 0 of 8 with type (3), and 1 of 14 with type (4). We speculated that most of patients with type (4) would have pleural effusion. But CT findings did not correlate with pleural effusion. Chest pain occured after 1 of 18 procedures with CT finding of type (1), 1 of 9 with type (2), 2 of 8 with type (3), and 1 of 14 with type (4). Fever occured after 0 of 18 procedures with CT findings of type (1), 0 of 9 with type (2), 2 of 8 with type (3), 0 of 14 with type (4). These results suggest that 1%AS injected into paravariceal esophageal wall have no reference to the minor complications. The sclerosants injected into the paravarices was thought to diffuse rapidly, but it is unlikely that this distribution of 1%AS is the main factor of pleural effusion, chest pain, and fever after EIS.
