Endoscopic variceal ligation as primary prophylaxis for upper GI bleeding in children.

Background And Aims: Variceal hemorrhage can be a life-threatening adverse event of chronic liver disease. In contrast to the well-described guidelines for the management of portal hypertension (PH) in adults, there is limited evidence about the optimal prophylactic management of variceal bleeding in children. This study was carried out to assess the efficacy of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) as primary prophylaxis to prevent upper GI bleeding in children with PH.

Long-term safety and effectiveness of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel infusion.

Introduction: Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) infusion has demonstrated to improve motor fluctuations. The aim of this study is to assess the long-term safety and effectiveness of LCIG infusion in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with motor fluctuations and its effect in nonmotor symptoms.

Methods: Adverse events (AE) and their management, clinical motor, and nonmotor aspects were assessed up to 10 years.

Adding banding ligation is effective as rescue therapy to prevent variceal rebleeding in haemodynamic non-responders to pharmacological therapy.

Background: It is unknown which is the best therapy to treat haemodynamic non-responders to pharmacological therapy after variceal bleeding.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of adding banding ligation to drugs to prevent variceal rebleeding in haemodynamic non-responders to drugs.

Methods: Fifty-three cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding underwent a hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement 5 days after the episode.

Effectiveness of combined pharmacologic and ligation therapy in high-risk patients with acute esophageal variceal bleeding.

Objectives: After an acute variceal bleeding, early decision for aggressive management of patients with worse prognosis may improve outcomes. The effectiveness of currently recommended standard therapy (drugs plus endoscopic ligation) for different risk subgroups and the validity of available risk criteria in clinical practice are unknown.

Methods: We analyzed data of 301 consecutive cirrhotic patients admitted with esophageal variceal bleeding.

Hemodynamic response-guided therapy for prevention of variceal rebleeding: an uncontrolled pilot study.

The clinical usefulness of assessing hemodynamic response to drug therapy in the prophylaxis of variceal rebleeding is unknown. An open-labeled, uncontrolled pilot trial was performed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using the hemodynamic response to pharmacological treatment to guide therapy in this setting. Fifty patients with acute variceal bleeding underwent a hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement 5 days after the episode.