Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate for ruptured duodenal varices

Duodenal varices are a rare site of hemorrhage in patients with portal hypertension, but their rupture is a serious and often fatal event. We report the case of a 77-year-old woman with cirrhosis who presented with melena. She was admitted to our Department because of prolonged shock although she had received a large blood transfusion. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed nodular varices in the third portion of the duodenum which were considered to be the source of the bleeding. Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Histoacryl; Braun-Melsungen, Germany), an adhesive agent, was performed. We injected 1.5 ml of Histoacryl with Lipiodol (Laboratoire-Guerbet, France) intravariceally and achieved successful hemostasis. This patient's duodenal varices had almost completely resolved 1 month after EIS. We conclude that EIS with Histoacryl is an effective hemostatic measure for ruptured duodenal varices. (Received July 9, 1997, accepted Nov. 28, 1997)