• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.11
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• pp.500-504
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• 2013

Here we present the case of an 11-year-old female patient diagnosed with Caroli syndrome, who had refractory esophageal varices. The patient had a history of recurrent bleeding from esophageal varices, which was treated with endoscopic variceal ligation thrice over a period of 2 years. However, the bleeding was not controlled. When the patient finally visited the Emergency Department, the hemoglobin level was 4.4 g/dL. Transhepatic intrajugular portosystemic shunt was unsuccessful. Subsequently, the patient underwent percutaneous transhepatic variceal obliteration. Twenty hours after this procedure, the patient complained of aphasia, dizziness, headache, and general weakness. Six hours later, the patient became drowsy and unresponsive to painful stimuli. Lipiodol particles used to embolize the coronary and posterior gastric veins might have passed into the systemic arterial circulation, and they were found to be lodged in the brain, kidney, lung, and stomach. There was no abnormality of the portal vein on portal venography, and blood flow to the azygos vein through the paravertebral and hemiazygos systems was found to drain to the systemic circulation on coronary venography. Contrast echocardiography showed no pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. Symptoms improved with conservative management, and the esophageal varices were found to have improved on esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.231-238
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• 2023

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare endoscopy as primary versus secondary prophylaxis to prevent future bleeding in children with esophageal varices. Methods: A systematic literature search using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method was conducted using the Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane databases for relevant studies on the outcome of rebleeding events after endoscopy in primary prophylaxis compared to that in secondary prophylaxis. The following keywords were used: esophageal varices, children, endoscopy, primary prophylaxis and bleeding. The quality of eligible articles was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and statistically analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results: A total of 174 children were included from four eligible articles. All four studies were considered of high-quality based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Patients who received primary prophylaxis had 79% lower odds of bleeding than those who received secondary prophylaxis (odds ratio, 0.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07-0.66; I²=0%, p=0.008). Patients in the primary prophylaxis group underwent fewer endoscopic procedures to eradicate varices than those in the secondary prophylaxis group, with a mean difference of 1.73 (95% CI, 0.91-2.56; I²=62%, p<0.0001). Conclusion: Children with high-risk varices who underwent primary prophylaxis were less likely to experience future bleeding episodes and required fewer endoscopic procedures to eradicate the varices than children who underwent secondary prophylaxis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2021

Background: The diagnosis of esophageal varices (EV) is based on the findings of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), biopsy, and serum markers. Thus, noninvasive cost-effective tests through which high-risk EV children can be diagnosed are needed. Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the noninvasive markers for EV in children with liver cirrhosis. Methods: A total of 98 children with liver cirrhosis were evaluated in this study. The spleen size, platelet count, serum albumin, liver function test results, and risk scores were evaluated prior to endoscopy. The endoscopic investigations aimed to identify the presence of EV and red signs, and determine varices sizes. Results: Endoscopy revealed varices in 43 subjects (43.9%). The spleen size, platelet count, international normalized ratio, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), platelet count to spleen size ratio, and risk score differed significantly between patients with and without EV on univariate analysis; however, the logistic regression analysis showed no differences, indicating that none of these parameters were independently associated with the presence of EV. Conclusion: Platelet count, risk score, platelet count to spleen size, and APRI can be useful tools for the identification of high-risk patients with EV and might reduce the need for invasive methods like EGD.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 1970

In an endeavor to help understand some typical scan findings and portal hemodynamics in liver cirrhosis, several commonly occurring scan changes and esophageal varices as demonstrated by esophagram were correlated one another from quantitative and qualitative stand points. Clinical materials consisted of 34 patients with proven diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and esophageal varices. Liver scan was performed with colloidal 198-Au and the changes in the size and internal architecture of the liver, splenic uptake and splenomegaly were graded and scored by repeated double-blind readings. The variceal changes on esophagrams were also graded according to the classification of Shanks and Kerley following modification. Of 34 patients, 91% showed definite reduction in liver volume (shrinkage) constituting the most frequent scan change. The splenic uptake and splenomegaly were noted in 73.5 and 79.4%, respectively. The present study revealed no positive correlation between the graded scan findings including shrinkage of the liver, splenic uptake or splenomegaly and severity of variceal changes of the esophagus. Exceptionally, however, apparently paradoxical correlation was noted between the severity of mottlings and varices. Thus, in the majority (73.5%) of patients mottlings were either absent or mild. This interesting observation is in favor of the view held by Christie et al. who consider the mottlings to be not faithful expression of actual scarring of the cirrhotic liver. This also would indicate that variceal changes are to be the results of intrahepatic arteriovenous shunting of blood with hypervolemic load to the portal system rather than simple hypertension secondary to fibrosis and shrinkage.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.371-378
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• 1979

The authors have performed operations on vascular system of 108 cases from 1972 through 1979, and analyzed the diseases, surgical procedures and results. They were 1. Arterial system; 45 cases P.D.A. : 20 Occlusive diseases : 13 Coarctation of aorta : 4 Aneurysm : 4 A-V fistula : 2 Trauma : 2 2. Venous system; 6 cases Esophageal varix : 4 S.V.C. syndrome : 1 Varicose vein : 1 3. Arteriovenous shunt for hemodialysis; 57 cases Of the arterial diseases, the worst results came from Burger`s disease. For the bleeding esophageal varices, we have performed ligations of varices or collateral circulations rather than emergency splenorenal shunt with good results. External A-V shunt for hemodialysis had much more complications than the A-V fistula.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.248-253
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• 2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of band ligation and injection sclerotherapy in the endoscopic treatment of children with variceal bleeding. Methods: The study population included 55 children, all of whom were treated at the time of endoscopic diagnosis of esophageal varices at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between January 1994 and January 2011. The primary outcomes included initial success rates and duration of hemostasis after endoscopic management (band ligation vs. injectionsclerotherapy). Results: The mean age was $6.7{\pm}5.2$ years and the mean follow-up time was $5.4{\pm}3.7$ years. The most common cause of esophageal varices was biliary atresia. Of 55 children with acute variceal bleeding, 39 had band ligation and 16 had injection sclerotherapy. No differences between groups were observed in terms of the size, location, and presence of red color sign. The success rates of band ligation and sclerotherapy in the control of acute bleeding episodes were 89.7% and 87.5%. The mean duration of hemostasis after endoscopic intervention was $13.2{\pm}25.1$ months. After one year, 19 of 39 patients (48.7%) treated with band ligation and 7 of 16 patients (43.8%) with injection sclerotherapy had experienced rebleeding episodes. Complications after the procedures were observed in 10.3% and 18.8% of children treated with band ligation and injection sclerotherapy. Conclusion: The results of our current study suggest that band ligation and injection sclerotherapy are equally efficient treatments for the control of acute variceal bleeding and prevention of rebleeding.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 1972

Recently we experienced a case of the portal hypertension, extrahepatlc origin in the National Medical Center, Seoul. The case was a male aged 19 who was undergone the elective splenorenal shunt with splenectomy 9 years ago and emergency ligation of the coronary vein because of recurred variceal rupture 6 years later and had recurring esophageal varices with bleeding this time.At the age of 10 he had been occasionally suffering from nasal bleeding and visited to our Pediatric department, when there was encountered for the first time the splenomegaly, esophageal varices in the lower third esophagus on the esophagogram, and stenosis and kinking of the portal vein with rich collateral circulation on the splenoportography without hepatic functional impairment.The elective splenorenal shunt with splenectomy was undergone under the diagnosis of portal hypertension due to congenital anomaly of the portal vein and postoperatlvely no troubles had been obtained until postoperative 1st attack of massive hematemesis due to esophagenl variceal rupture recurred about 6 years later which was confirmed by control esophagogram and it was resulted by stenosis of previous anastomotic site of the splenorenal shunt.Then emergency ligation of the coronary vein was only made for bleeding control and no episodes of hematemesis had been encountered thereafter until April 1972 about 3 years after the 2nd operation, when hematemesis recurred again. In this time, recurring esophageal varices were noted in the lower third esophagus on the control esophagogram and he was employed side to end mesocaval shunt as the final step of portal decompression,and following results were obtained. 1] No postoperatlve troubles as leg edema or pain: Postoperatively leg elevation and elastic bandage on the both legs were employed until discharge. 2] During operation the portal pressure was 300 mm $H_2O$ and immediately lowered to 170 mm $H_2O$ after shunt.

• 대한핵의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1969.12a
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• pp.9.2-10
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• 1969

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.400-406
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• 2019

We report a 12-month-old female infant who had a history of neonatal sepsis with liver micro-abscesses that resolved with intravenous antibiotics during neonatal period. During her neonatal admission period, no umbilical vein catheter was inserted. Also, she did not undergo any abdominal surgeries or had a postnatal history of necrotizing enterocolitis. However, the child developed upper gastrointestinal bleeding in form of hematemesis and melena secondary to esophageal varices at the age of 12 months with an extra-hepatic portal vein obstruction with cavernous transformation and portal hypertension subsequently. The child underwent a successful endoscopic injection sclerotherapy. She is now 20-month-old and has portal hypertension but otherwise asymptomatic. We are proposing the possibility of a delayed-onset portal hypertension as a complication of liver abscess and neonatal sepsis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.95-106
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• 1990

Between May 1979 and April 1989, 213 patients with esophageal injuries visited the Department of the Thoracic and cardiovascular surgery Department, Yonsei University College of Medicine. There were 159 non perforated esophageal injuries accompanied by hematemesis, and 54 perforated esophageal injuries. The causes of non perforated esophageal injuries were Mallory-Weise Syndrome [%], corrosive esophagitis [54], esophageal carcinoma [4], foreign bodies [2], sclerotherapy due to esophageal varices [3]. The causes of perforated esophageal injuries were esophageal anastomosis[13], malignancies[17], esophagoscopy or bougienage[5], chest trauma[5], foreign bodies[5], paraesophageal surgery[3], others[6] In esophageal perforation due to foreign bodies, esophagoscopy or bougienage, there were 6 cervical esophageal perforations and 9 thoracic esophageal perforations. There were no mortalities in the treatment of the cervical esophageal perforations and 5 deaths resulted in the treatment of 9 thoracic esophageal perforations. And four of six patients with thoracic esophageal perforations died in the initiation of treatment over 24 hours, after trauma. There were another 12 deaths in the patients with chest trauma, malignancies or chronic inflammation except esophageal injuries due to foreign bodies or instruments during the hospital stay or less than 30 days after esophageal injuries. One patient with esophageal carcinoma died due to bleeding and respiratory failure after irradiation. Another patient with esophago gastrostomy due to esophageal carcinoma died of sepsis due to EG site leakage. One patient with a mastectomy due to breast cancer followed by irradiation died of sepsis due to an esophagopleural fistula. Two patients with Mallory-Weiss syndrome died; of hemorrhagic shock in one and of respiratory failure due to massive transfusion in the other. One patient with TEF died of respiratory failure and another died of pneumonia and respiratory failure. One patient with esophageal perforation due to blunt chest trauma died of brain damage accompanied with chest trauma.