0000000000934633
AUTHOR
Norman D. Grace
Portal hypertension and variceal bleeding: An AASLD single topic symposium
In June 1996, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases sponsored a single topic workshop combining a two-day symposium on liver microcirculation in health and diseases1 followed by a two day consensus workshop on portal hypertension and variceal bleeding. The goal of the combined conference was to identify areas of critical importance in the understanding and treatment of portal hypertension and to foster future collaborative research projects. The portal hypertension-variceal bleeding conference consisted of eight panel discussions, each highlighting a specific topic related to evaluation and treatment of portal hypertension. The chair of each panel was charged to summarize…
Gastroesophageal Reflux and Bleeding Esophageal Varices
The incidence of gastroesophageal reflux was evaluated with the use of a pH probe in 12 patients with cirrhosis and recent variceal hemorrhage and in 15 healthy control subjects. Short episodes of reflux occurred in 42% of the patients and in 47% of the controls. During an observation period of 1 hr, the cumulative duration of reflux was similar in patients (2.5 ± 1.3 min) and controls (3.1 ± 1.4 min). Mean lower esophageal sphincter pressures were normal in both groups but did not show a significant correlation with the duration of reflux. These data support previous observations that gastroesophageal reflux does not appear to be a contributing factor in the development of variceal hemorrh…