Conservative treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in portal hypertension.

The main aim of conservative treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in portal hypertension is aim to treat and prevent esophageal variceal hemorrhage. Controlled trials show that the hemostasis rate following vaso-active therapy (vasopressin and analogues, somatostatin) is only slightly superior to the spontaneous hemostasis rate. Complications caused by vasopressin treatment can be avoided by concomitant application of nitroglycerin or by alternative treatment with somatostatin. Balloon tamponade is slightly superior to vasopressin for arresting variceal hemorrhage. Injection sclerotherapy influences acute bleeding most positively. Analysis of controlled trials favors sclerotherapy for prophylaxis of rebleeding, but beta-adrenoceptor blockers appear to be almost equally good.