Gastric Varices Bleeding

Gastric variceal bleeding is a life-threatening complication of portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Endoscopic cyanoacrylate glue injection is the current standard treatment; however, recurrent bleeding and procedure-related complications remain important concerns. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided coil and cyanoacrylate glue injection has emerged as a promising alternative that may improve variceal obliteration and reduce rebleeding rates. This prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial will compare EUS-guided coil and cyanoacrylate glue injection with conventional endoscopic cyanoacrylate glue injection in patients with cirrhosis presenting with bleeding gastric varices. A total of 158 participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either treatment arm. The primary outcome is all-cause rebleeding at 12 months. Secondary outcomes include technical success, early and late rebleeding, number of treatment sessions required for variceal obliteration, glue volume used, procedure-related adverse events, hepatic decompensation, duration of hospital stay, cost of treatment, and mortality.

This study compares two endoscopic ultrasound-guided treatments for gastric varices, which are enlarged veins in the stomach that can bleed. Both treatments use small coils placed into the varix. One group will receive coils with cyanoacrylate medical glue, and the other group will receive coils with absorbable gelatin sponge. The purpose of the study is to determine whether absorbable gelatin sponge with coils is not worse than cyanoacrylate glue with coils for closing off gastric varices, and to compare safety outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. Participants and outcome assessors will not know which treatment was used, but the doctor performing the procedure will know. After the procedure, participants will be followed for up to 12 months. Follow-up may include clinical assessments, questionnaires about health and quality of life, CT imaging shortly after the procedure, and repeat endoscopic ultrasound assessments to evaluate whether the gastric varix has been successfully treated.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of EUS-guided tissue glue/coil injection and BRTO in preventing rebleeding of gastric varices (GVs) in patients with portal hypertension and GVs (including those with esophageal varices, ascites, or hepatic encephalopathy). The main questions it aims to answer are: Is the 1-year all-cause rebleeding rate of EUS-guided tissue glue/coil injection for GVs non-inferior to that of the BRTO group? Does EUS-guided tissue glue/coil injection differ from BRTO in the incidence of decompensated portal hypertension events (variceal bleeding, overt hepatic encephalopathy, ascites) and survival rate post-treatment? Researchers will compare patients randomized 1:1 to the EUS-guided tissue glue/coil injection arm vs. the BRTO arm to see if there are differences in rebleeding rates and complications. Participants will: Receive EUS-guided tissue glue/coil injection or BRTO. Take carvedilol long-term (if no contraindications) to reduce portal pressure. Undergo follow-up assessments at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months ±7 days.

A single-arm exploratory clinical study design was used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a "modified sandwich injection" of tissue glue assisted by a detachable clip for the treatment of gastric varicose veins.

The prevalence of gastric varices is approximately 20%. It is important to note that gastric varices tend to bleed more severely, have a higher morbidity and mortality rate, and have a 35% to 90% risk of rebleeding after the cessation of acute hemorrhage. Because of the relatively low prevalence of gastric varices, the existing clinical studies have many deficiencies, and there is much controversy in the academic community, the optimal treatment and prevention strategies for gastric varices have not yet been fully defined. In the last few years, important advances have been made in the treatment and prevention of gastric variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis. Experts agree that the combination of pharmacological and endoscopic injection of tissue adhesives should be the first line of therapy in the acute bleeding episode from isolated gastric varices (IGV1) or type 2 gastroesophageal varices (GOV2) varices; whereas transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is considered a rescue therapy. TIPS has been shown to effectively prevent variceal rebleeding but with a potential increase in the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy and/or liver failure. In this sense, a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) in fundal variceal bleeding showed that an early TIPS, performed during the first 5 days after patient admission resulted in a significant decrease in failure to control bleeding and early and late rebleeding. However, the study was conducted for 4 years and only included 25 patients. Due to insufficient sample size, it was unable to reflect whether priority TIPS can bring survival benefits to patients with gastric variceal bleeding. Therefore, there is an urgent need for multi-center clinical studies with large samples to provide high-quality evidence in the field of prioritizing TIPS for the treatment of acute gastric variceal bleeding. The present study aims to compare the preemptive TIPS (performed during the first 72 hours after endoscopy) with standard second prophylaxis (endoscopic injection of tissue adhesives plus carvedilol) for patients with acute bleeding from gastric varices (IGV1 or GOV2). The primary outcome will be a 6-week mortality from inclusion.