Factors related to thrombosis of gastric varix during balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration

BackgroundBalloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) has become known as an effective treatment for gastric varices with a gastrorenal shunt. However, the appropriate duration to maintain inflation of the catheter balloon for sufficient thrombosis has been unknown.PurposeTo evaluate retrospectively the factors related to the development of thrombus in gastric varices by evaluating the necessity of the addition of a sclerosing agent on the second day in overnight B-RTO.Material and MethodsSixty-five patients who underwent B-RTO for gastric varices with a gastrorenal shunt were studied. The B-RTO catheter was retained overnight in all patients. Incidence of and factors influencing the necessity of additional injections of a sclerosing agent on the second day were investigated.ResultsIn all 65 patients (100%), B-RTO was technically successful and in 61 patients (93.8%) complete thrombosis of the gastric varices was achieved. In 46 of the 65 patients (70.8%), the sclerosing agent was added o...