Abstract
This is to report on a new device, transjungular obliteration (TJO) as a bloodless treatment of gastric varices, where a catheter is placed into the gastrorenal shunt through the internal jugular vein to obliterate the varices. Subjects were 3 patients with gastric varices. One patient had isolated gastric varices, and the other two patients had esophagogastric varices. Esophageal varices were treated by injection sclerotherapy prior to TJO.
A 5 French occlusive balloon catheter was placed into the gastrorenal shunt through the internal jugular vein to obtain a retrograde obliteration. As the sclerosants, 50% glucose, absolute ethanol and 5% ethanolamine oleate with iopamidol (5% EOI) were used. In all cases, gastric varices were obliterated successfully. Endoscopic examination after the therapy showed the eradication of gastric varices. No complications during or after the therapy were observed. All patients are still alive without recurrence. Therefore, we think that TJO can be one of the effective method for the treatment of gastric varices with gastrorenal shunt.
