Comparison of endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy alone and in combination with octreotide in controlling acute variceal hemorrhage and early rebleeding in patients with low-risk cirrhosis.

Efficacy of endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy (EVS) alone and in combination with octreotide in controlling acute variceal bleeding and preventing early rebleeding was compared in a double-blind study. Consecutive patients presenting with variceal bleeding with low-risk liver cirrhosis were randomized into two groups. Group A received EVS with 3-5 ml of ethanolamine oleate per varix and placebo injection at 50 microg/h; group B received the combined therapy of EVS and octreotide 50 microg/h continuously for 5 days. A total of 70 patients (mean age, 38.4 +/- 8.6 yr) were selected for the study, which included 56 men (mean age, 37.9 +/- 8.5 yr) and 14 women (mean age, 40.6 +/- 9.0 yr). Thirty-five patients were allocated in each group. In group A bleeding was controlled in 30 patients (85.7%) and in group B in 33 (94.3%) (p = 0.24). The number of patients who rebled during the first 5 days after sclerotherapy was eight (22.9%) and two (5.7%) in groups A and B, respectively (p = 0.04). The mean packs of blood transfused to the patients of groups A and B were 2.1 +/- 1.2 packs and 1.5 +/- 0.7 packs, respectively (p = 0.03). The mean hospital stay of group A was 6.6 +/- 1.3 days, whereas that in group B was 5.9 +/- 1.2 days (p = 0.04). One patient from each group died during the course of the study. No significant difference was observed in arrest of bleeding in the two groups, but episodes of early rebleeding, blood transfusions, and hospital stay was significantly less in group B.