Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify the distribution of sclerosant injected by endoscope.
Sclerotherapy for esophageal varices was performed on 6 patients in 16 times of injection. The used sclerosant contained 5% ethanolamine oleate (EO) and 99mTcO4- solution at the ratio of volume 9:1 (EO-99mTc).
At each injection session 5 to 20ml of this solution was injected into one varix. The distribution of injected material was observed by a scintillation camera.
Systemic dissemination of the sclerosant through portal vein was demonstrated in five out of 16 procedures, in which the injections were correctly intravenous. Dissemination occured irrespective of the sclerosant volume injected. In these, most of the EO-99mTc was washed out within 5 minutes leaving a trace in the peri-esophageal veins. Effects of injection were, however, evident and the varices showed atrophic changes.
