Randomized trial of emergency mesocaval and portacaval shunts for bleeding esophageal varices.

A randomized trial of emergency portacaval or mesocaval shunting was conducted in twenty-four cirrhotic patients bleeding from esophageal varices. The group of eleven patients having mesocaval shunts was comparable to the group having portacaval shunts in age distribution, sex, and preoperative physical condition. Postoperative fatality rates were 46% after portacaval shunting and 73% after mesocaval shunting. Results favor portacaval shunts for the emergency control of bleeding varices in the spectrum of patients seen in an urban hospital.