[The effectiveness of endoscopic variceal ligation in patients with different grades of liver function].

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) in patients with different grades of liver function.

Methods: MELD scores were determined for 156 patients before their EVL operations. After the EVL these patients were followed-up and their survival rates were analyzed.

Results: Fifty percent of the patients whose MELDs were less than or equal to 7 survived longer than 45 months after the EVL; in those with MELDs between 7 and 9, 50% of the patients survived 47.34 months; however, the figure for those whose MELD were more than 9 survived only 24.89 months. In the first two groups, 50% of the patient' survival duration was significantly longer than that of the third group. The difference was statistically significant.

Conclusion: EVL becomes an effective clinical way to treat hemorrhage of esophagus varicose veins. The survival rate for this procedure is directly correlated with the liver function of the patient before the EVL.