Recent advances in the endoscopic management of variceal bleeding.

For the first time the endoscopist has more than one option for the management of gastro-oesophageal varices. It is now feasible to select the appropriate therapy on the basis of the clinical setting. Acute injection sclerotherapy remains a quick and simple technique for the control of active bleeding from oesophageal varices, and could be followed two or three days later by banding ligation. Earlier obliteration of varices with this technique may offer the prospect of only two or three sessions of therapy. The availability of the tissue adhesives and thrombin as injectates for fundal gastric varices provide the option of an initial attempt at endoscopic therapy in this high risk group.