First experience of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliterationof gastric varices

Abstract

Ten patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension successfully underwent balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) of gastric varices. As an example, the paper presents a clinical observation demonstrating the use of a BRTO endovascular procedure. A spontaneous functioning gastrorenal shunt was distinctly observed during multidetector computed tomography in a patient with Child-Pugh А cirrhosis of alimentary-toxic and viral etiology, as well as portal hypertension and associated gastric varices (Type 2, Grade 3) with frequent recurrent bleeding. The presence of a shunt with no indications for TIPS procedure, as well as the inexpediency of a shunt surgery (taking positive immunoblot into account), enabled the formulation of indications for BRTO. This factor ensured regression of gastric varices, as well as eliminated the threat of recurrent gastric bleeding.