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Balloon Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration for Treatment of Persistent Gastric Variceal Bleed in Patient With Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cureus 2020 Jun 24;12(6):e8796

Date

07/01/2020

Pubmed ID

32601578

Pubmed Central ID

PMC7317128

DOI

10.7759/cureus.8796

Abstract

Gastric varices are often associated with formation of spontaneous portosystemic shunts that arise to relieve portal hypertension. Balloon retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) is a procedure indicated to prevent recurrent gastric variceal bleeding. Its advantage is diverting blood flow towards the liver, but this can also worsen portal pressure and increase risk for ascites or esophageal variceal bleeding. Patients with gastric varices and concomitant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually have more advanced cirrhosis and lower possibility of treatment of HCC. BRTO is thought to preserve hepatic function from increased blood flow, possibly allowing better chances of treatment and survival in these patients.

Author List

Villavicencio Kim J, Elkhattib I, Guerrero Vinsard D

Author

Ismail Elkhattib MBA, MD Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin