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Endoscopy 1993; 25(4): 287-289
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1010316
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© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Prophylactic Endoscopic Sclerotherapy of Esophageal Varices in Liver Cirrhosis - Long-Term Follow-Up and Final Results of a Multicenter Prospective Controlled Randomized Trial in Vienna

R. Pötzi1 , P. Bauer2 , R. Schöfl1 , W. Reichel3 , E. Kerstan3 , F. Renner1 , A. Gangl1
  • 1Clinic of Internal Medicine IV, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Vienna, Austria
  • 2Institute of Medical Documentation and Statistics, University of Cologne, Germany
  • 3Department of Medicine IV, Wilhelminenspital, Vienna, Austria
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Publication Date:
17 March 2008 (online)

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Abstract

This study reports the final results of a randomized multicenter trial on prophylactic endoscopic sclerotherapy of large esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis. Forty-one patients received prophylactic treatment and 41 patients were in the control group. A first analysis 3 years after beginning the study revealed no significant difference in the distribution of the bleeding free intervals between both groups, but indicated a tendency towards longer survival of patients with prophylactic sclerotherapy. The follow-up of patients was continued for an additional 3 years. After this time, 53.7 % of patients in the sclerotherapy group and 39.1 % of patients in the control group were still alive. During the study period of 6 years, variceal bleeding was observed in 31.7 % of patients in the sclerotherapy group and in 36.6 % of patients in the control group. Neither survival nor incidence of bleeding were statistically different between the two groups. The etiology of cirrhosis did not influence the survival.

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