Abstract
Survival rates for patients with esophageal varices treated by surgery were compared with those treated by embolization. There were 127 surgically treated patients and 85 patients treated by embolization. Ten patients could not be treated by either method. These 222 patients with esophageal varices were divided into two groups: Group I, elective treatment and Child's class A or B patients; Group II, emergency treatment or Child's C patients. These 222 patients were then divided into another two groups:-985, before the establishment of criteria for surgical indication; 1986-, after establishment of the criteria. 1) Before establishment of the criteria, in the Group II patients the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 46.7, 26.7 and 20.0%, respectively, in the surgery group and 65.9, 49.4 and 49.4%, respectively, in the embolization group. 2) In the surgery group, the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 71.5, 56.4 and 53.6%, respectively, before establishment of the criteria and the 1-year and 3-year survival rates were 91.2 and 82.9%, respectively, after establishment of the criteria. 3) In the Group II patients, the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 49.9, 32.6 and 28.8%, respectively, before establishment of the criteria and the 1-year and 3-year survival rates were 72.2 and 51.6%, respectively, after establishment of the criteria. Surgery gave poor results in the patients in Group II. Therefore these patients should be treated by embolization.
