Endoscopic sclerotherapy of esophageal varices in children with portal hypertension

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of sclerotherapy of esophageal varices in children with portal hypertension.Methods The records of five children with portal hypertension and esophageal varices who underwent 11 sclerotherapy were reviewed. The mean age of the children (M:F=4:1) was 6.2 years. Of the 4 children who had splenectomy, 2 suffered from esophageal varicose bleeding. One patient had shunt operation and one had transection of the esophageal varices. Results Of the five patients, 4 had two sclerotherapy injections and 1 had 3 sclerotherapy injections. Short term follow up (1 month) did not demonstrate any rebleeding. Conclusion Sclerotherapy of esophageal varices in children with portal hypertension is a feasible procedure.