Treatments

Esophageal Varices Treatments

Treatment for esophageal varices depends on the size and appearance of the veins and the risk for bleeding. Several treatments are performed during an endoscopy, in which a thin, flexible tube is inserted through your mouth and down your esophagus. Treatments include:

• Endoscopic ligation: During an endoscopy, small rubber bands are placed around the varices to stop active bleeding or the risk of bleeding.
• Endoscopic injections: During an endoscopy, your physician can inject dilated veins with alcohol or blood-clotting medication to shrink them.
• Tamponade: During an endoscopy, a balloon is inserted into your esophagus and filled with air to put pressure on a bleeding blood vessel and help stop bleeding.
• Shunt placement: A shunt is a small tube that provides a new path for blood to flow when a blood vessel is damaged. This method is often used to halt bleeding while waiting for a liver transplant.
• Liver transplant: A healthy liver or part of a liver from a donor replaces your diseased liver.
• Blood transfusion: Blood from a donor replaces the blood you have lost.
• Medications: Beta blockers may reduce the pressure in your portal vein. Other medications may slow blood flow from your esophagus to your liver. Antibiotics are given to prevent a bacterial infection in the esophagus.