Esophageal Varices

Esophageal varices

Symptoms & causes
Diagnosis & treatment
Doctors & departments
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Diagnosis

Endoscopy

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If you have cirrhosis, your doctor should screen you for esophageal varices when you're diagnosed. How often you'll undergo screening tests depends on your condition. Main tests used to diagnose esophageal varices are:


Endoscopic exam. A procedure called upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is the preferred method of screening for esophageal varices. Your doctor inserts a thin, flexible, lighted tube (endoscope) through your mouth and into your esophagus, stomach and the beginning of your small intestine (duodenum).


The doctor will look for dilated veins, measure them, if found, and check for red streaks and red spots, which usually indicate a significant risk of bleeding. Treatment can be performed during the exam.

Imaging tests. Both abdominal CT scans and Doppler ultrasounds of the splenic and portal veins can suggest the presence of esophageal varices. An ultrasound test called transient elastography that measures scarring in the liver can help your doctor determine if you have portal hypertension, which may lead to esophageal varices.

Capsule endoscopy. In this test, you swallow a vitamin-sized capsule containing a tiny camera, which takes pictures of the esophagus as it goes through your digestive tract. This might be an option for people who are unable or unwilling to have an endoscopic exam. 

This technology is more expensive than regular endoscopy and not as available. Capsule endoscopy can only help find esophageal varices and does not treat them.

More Information

Capsule endoscopy
CT scan
MRI

Treatment

The primary aim in treating esophageal varices is to prevent bleeding. Bleeding esophageal varices are life-threatening. If bleeding occurs, treatments are available to try to stop the bleeding.

Treatment to prevent bleeding

Treatments to lower blood pressure in the portal vein may reduce the risk of bleeding esophageal varices. 

Treatments may include:

Medications to reduce pressure in the portal vein. A type of blood pressure drug called a beta blocker may help reduce blood pressure in your portal vein, decreasing the likelihood of bleeding. These medications include propranolol (Inderal, Innopran XL) and nadolol (Corgard).


Using elastic bands to tie off bleeding veins. If your esophageal varices appear to have a high risk of bleeding, or if you've had bleeding from varices before, your doctor might recommend a procedure called endoscopic band ligation.

Using an endoscope, the doctor uses suction to pull the varices into a chamber at the end of the scope and wraps them with an elastic band, which essentially "strangles" the veins so they can't bleed. Endoscopic band ligation carries a small risk of complications, such as bleeding and scarring of the esophagus.
Treatment if you're bleeding

Bleeding esophageal varices are life-threatening, and immediate treatment is essential. Treatments used to stop bleeding and reverse the effects of blood loss include:

Using elastic bands to tie off bleeding veins. Your doctor may wrap elastic bands around the esophageal varices during an endoscopy.

Medications to slow blood flow into the portal vein. Drugs such as octreotide (Sandostatin) and vasopressin (Vasostrict) slow the flow of blood to the portal vein. The drug is usually continued for up to five days after a bleeding episode.


Diverting blood flow away from the portal vein. If medication and endoscopy treatments don't stop the bleeding, your doctor might recommend a procedure called transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).

The shunt is an opening that is created between the portal vein and the hepatic vein, which carries blood from your liver to your heart. The shunt reduces pressure in the portal vein and often stops bleeding from esophageal varices.

But TIPS can cause serious complications, including liver failure and mental confusion, which can develop when toxins that the liver normally would filter are passed through the shunt directly into the bloodstream.

TIPS is mainly used when all other treatments have failed or as a temporary measure in people awaiting a liver transplant.


Placing pressure on varices to stop bleeding. If medication and endoscopy treatments don't work, doctors may try to stop bleeding by applying pressure to the esophageal varices. One way to temporarily stop bleeding is by inflating a balloon to put pressure on the varices for up to 24 hours, a procedure called balloon tamponade. Balloon tamponade is a temporary measure before other treatments can be performed, such as TIPS.

This procedure carries a high risk of bleeding recurrence after the balloon is deflated. Balloon tamponade may also cause serious complications, including a rupture in the esophagus, which can lead to death.
Restoring blood volume. You might be given a transfusion to replace lost blood and a clotting factor to stop bleeding.
Preventing infection. There is an increased risk of infection with bleeding, so you'll likely be given an antibiotic to prevent infection.
Replacing the diseased liver with a healthy one. Liver transplant is an option for people with severe liver disease or those who experience recurrent bleeding of esophageal varices. Although liver transplantation is often successful, the number of people awaiting transplants far outnumbers the available organs.
Re-bleeding

There is a high risk that bleeding will recur in people who've had bleeding from esophageal varices. Beta blockers and endoscopic band ligation are the recommended treatments to help prevent re-bleeding.

After initial banding treatment, your doctor will repeat your upper endoscopy at regular intervals and apply more bands if necessary until the esophageal varices are gone or small enough to reduce the risk of further bleeding.
Potential future treatment

Doctors are exploring an experimental emergency therapy to stop bleeding from esophageal varices that involves spraying an adhesive powder. The hemostatic powder is administered through a catheter during an endoscopy. When sprayed on the esophagus, hemostatic powder sticks to the varices and may stop bleeding.

Another potential way to stop bleeding when all other measures fail is to use self-expanding metal stents (SEMS). SEMS can be placed during an endoscopy and stop bleeding by placing pressure on the bleeding esophageal varices.

However, SEMS could damage tissue and can migrate after being placed. The stent should be removed within seven days and bleeding could recur. This option is experimental and isn't yet widely available.