Sclerotherapy for the Treatment of Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia in Case of Contraindications to Argon Plasma Coagulation - Abstract
Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a rare cause of chronic gastro-intestinal
hemorrhage. GAVE can be observed in patients with cirrhosis and it is involved in
several cases of persistent anemia, sometimes requiring blood transfusions due to the
severity of anemia. Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) has been proven to be effective
and safe in the treatment of GAVE, the only contraindications being the presence of
a pacemaker or defibrillator, susceptibility to electrical interference. We here report
the case of a patient bleeding from GAVE with contraindications to use of APC. In this
patient sclerotherapy with Polidocanol proved to be safe and effective endoscopic
procedure, representing a potential alternative to Endoscopic Band Ligation (EBL).