Previous Article Index Next Article

Pulmonary embolism after sclerotherapy treatment of bleeding varices

Syed F. Habib, Raza Muhammad, Anastasios Koulaouzidis, Jaber Gasem

Abstract

We describe a case of pulmonary embolism after sclerosant injection for bleeding oesophageal varices. The patient was managed successfully with enoxaparin. Systemic embolization after sclerotherapy is rare and depends upon a number of factors including the amount of sclerosant agent used. The incidence of this complication could be as high as 6% which warrants careful post procedure monitoring of patients.

Key words. Pulmonary embolism, sclerotherapy, varices, portal hypertension

Article Metrics