Bleeding esophageal varices: treatment by embolization and shunting.

An assessment was made of the treatment of 120 consecutive, alcoholic, cirrhotic patients with bleeding esophageal varices. Percutaneous, transhepatic embolization of the esophagaogastric varices resulted in control of the hemorrhage and this approach was more effective than were the non-surgical methods used. Management of acute variceal bleeding by conservative non-surgical means, including embolization, appears preferable to emergency portal-systemic shunts. The combination of non-surgical control of the acute variceal hemorrhage plus subsequent selective distal splenorenal shunting resulted in minimal encephalopathy and the most effective treatment.