Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; diagnosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; pathology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was aimed to analyze the relationship between gastric varices and its collaterals using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and to assess the usefulness of MRA in studies of portosystemic circulation. METHODS: Eighty-one patients who had portal hypertension with gastric varices took MRA before the therapy for gastric varices. RESULTS: The types of collaterals observed by MRA were left gastric vein in 67 patients (83%), short gastric vein in 28 (35%), gastrorenal shunt in 25 (31%), and splenorenal shunt in 14 (17%). In most of patients with advanced gastric varices, the size of left gastric vein was larger than others. In most cases of large gastric varices, the short gastric vein ranged between 5 to 10 mm. Gastrorenal shunt was also correlated with the size of gastric varices. The types of more prominent esophageal varices showed a right type (left gastric vein predominance), but the types of more prominent gastric varices or only the gastric varices showed a left type (posterior or short gastric vein predominance) (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Gadolinium enhanced 3D-MRA can contribute to the study of the hemodynamic relationships between gastric vein and the collateral circulations by presenting more clear images for patients with portal hypertension.
Adult ; Aged ; *Collateral Circulation ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/complications/diagnosis/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/complications/*pathology ; *Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach/*blood supply

No abstract availble.
Duodenoscopy ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/*complications ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) is a term used to define the endoscopic findings of gastric mucosa with a characteristic mosaic-like pattern with or without red spots, and a common finding in patients with portal hypertension. These endoscopic findings correspond to dilated mucosal capillaries without inflammation. The pathogenesis of PHG in not well known, but portal hypertension and some humoral factors seem to be crucial factors for its development. Pharmacological (e.g. propranolol), or interventional radiological (such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) procedures may be useful in preventing re-bleeding from PHG. The classic features of gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) syndrome include red, often haemorrhagic lesions predominantly located in the gastric antrum which can result in significant blood loss. Although the pathogenesis of GAVE is not clearly defined, it seems to be a separate disease entity from PHG, because GAVE generally does not respond to a reduction of portal pressures. Endoscopic ablation (such as argon plasma coagulation) is the first-line treatment of choice. This review will focus on the incidence, clinical importance, etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of PHG and GAVE syndrome in the setting of portal hypertension.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices/*diagnosis/etiology/therapy ; Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia/*diagnosis/etiology/therapy ; Gastric Mucosa/metabolism/pathology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/*complications ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic ; Vasodilator Agents/therapeutic use

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic systemic disease that affects the skin, lungs, heart, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and musculoskeletal system. Although up to 90% of patients with scleroderma have been estimated to have gastrointestinal involvement, liver disease has been reported only rarely. A 51-year-old woman was hospitalized due to esophageal variceal bleeding. Her serum was positive for anti-nuclear antibody and anti-centromere antibody. Sclerodactyly was noted on both hands, and she had recently developed Raynaud's syndrome. Punch biopsy of the hand showed hyperkeratosis, regular acanthosis, and increased basal pigmentation in the epidermis, and thick pale collagenous bundles in the dermis. Liver biopsy showed chronic active hepatitis with bridging fibrosis. Consequently, she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis due to autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) combined with SSc. AIH had subsided after administration of prednisolone at 40 mg per day. She received 5-10 mg/day of prednisolone as an outpatient, and her condition has remained stable. Patients with either AIH or SSc should be monitored for further development of concurrent autoimmune diseases. The early diagnosis of AIH combined with SSc will be helpful in achieving optimal management.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Antinuclear/blood ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hepatitis, Autoimmune/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Raynaud Disease/diagnosis ; Scleroderma, Systemic/complications/*diagnosis ; Skin/pathology

An infarction of regenerative nodules in liver cirrhosis is a rare abnormality characterized by their coagulative necrosis. We presume that ischemic necrosis is induced by a sudden reduction in the portal and arterial blood flows after blood loss or shock. Most patients with infarcted regenerative nodules have experienced previous episodes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Awareness of the entity of infarcted regenerative nodules and its inclusion in the differential diagnosis of multiple hepatic nodules in liver cirrhosis is important, particularly in patients with an episode of gastrointestinal bleeding. The possible difficulty of differentiating infarcted regenerative nodules in liver cirrhosis from hypovascular hepatocellular carcinoma by initial imaging findings alone means that a liver biopsy and serial imaging might be helpful in the differential diagnosis. We report three cases of multiple infarcted regenerative nodules in liver cirrhosis after gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/*complications/diagnosis ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*complications/diagnosis/etiology ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Infarction/*diagnosis/etiology ; Liver/*blood supply/pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis/etiology/*radiography ; Liver Regeneration/physiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of emergency variceal ligation for the prevention of rebleeding in cirrhotic patients who are found on initial endoscopy to have blood clots in the stomach but no actively bleeding esophageal and gastric varices or stigmata. METHODS: This study included 28 cirrhotic patients who underwent emergency prophylactic EVL and 41 who underwent an elective intervention between January 2009 and June 2014. Clinical outcomes were analyzed, including the rebleeding, 6-week mortality, and rebleeding-free survival rates. RESULTS: The rebleeding rate was higher in the emergency than in the elective group (28.6% vs. 7.3%, P=0.041). Multivariate analysis showed that emergency prophylactic EVL (odds ratio [OR] = 7.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.634.8, P=0.012) and Child-Pugh score C (OR=10.6, 95% CI=1.4-80.8, P=0.022) were associated with rebleeding. In the emergency group, the gastric varices were associated with rebleeding (OR=12.0, 95% CI=1.7-83.5, P=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Emergency EVL may be associated with variceal rebleeding when blood clots are present in the stomach without active esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding or stigmata. Elective intervention should be considered as a safer strategy for preventing variceal rebleeding in this situation.
Aged ; Emergency Medical Services ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/complications/*diagnosis ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/mortality/*prevention & control ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications/*diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Stomach/pathology ; Survival Rate ; Thrombosis