Effect of gastro-esophageal decongestion on variceal pressure in patients with schistosomal hepatic fibrosis.

This study includes 60 patients having schistosomal hepatic fibrosis and esophageal varices. Splenectomy alone was done for 14 patients having no history of haematemesis and gastroesophageal decongestion with splenectomy was done for the remaining 46 patients with history of haematemesis. Endoscopic variceal pressure measurements were done to all of them peroperatively and 21 days postoperatively. 17 patients, 7 after splenectomy and 10 after gastro-esophageal decongestion, were followed for 18 months post operatively. 21 days postsplenectomy, the variceal pressure dropped insignificantly from 38.09 to 33.27 cm H2O. During the following 18 months, three patients out of seven showed significant increase in variceal pressure. After decongestion with splenectomy, the mean variceal pressure dropped significantly from 42.03 to 29.17 cm H2O. For the 10 patients followed for 18 months, eight of them retained their variceal pressure as low as early postoperative figures. Thus gastro-esophageal decongestion with splenectomy is effective in reducing variceal pressure and in so doing it is better than splenectomy alone.