Abstract
In order to investigate colorectal complications in portal hypertension, we performed colonoscopy in total of 101 consecutive patients with portal hypertension between June 1, 1999 and June 30, 2003. Portal hypertensive colopathy was defined endoscopically with the presence of vascular ectasias or colorectal varices. The cause of portal hypertension was liver cirrhosis related to hepatitis B (16%) or C (69%) infection, alcoholic liver cirrhosis (6%) and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (10%). Portal hypertensive colopathy was present in 40 patients (39.6%), in the forms of vascular ectasias in 26 patients (25.7%), ascending colonic varices in 1 patient (1%), and rectal varices in 23 patients (22.7%). Hemorrhage occurred in 5 of the with rectal varices in 1 of the patients with vascular ectasias, and in one with colonic varices. The patients with hemorrhage from rectal varices was treated with elective endoscopic variceal ligation, and the patients with hemorrhage from vascular ectasias was treated with elective argon plasma coagulation. Colorectal varices occurred more frequently in the patients who had received esophageal EVL than in those who hadn't. (14/28 versus 11/73; p < 0.001). However, the presence of colonic vascular ectasias was not related to whether receiving esophageal EVL or not (7/28 versus 18/73; ns).
