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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Jun 27, 2014; 6(6): 363-369
Published online Jun 27, 2014. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v6.i6.363
Published online Jun 27, 2014. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v6.i6.363
Primary prevention of bleeding from esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis
Christos Triantos, Maria Kalafateli, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Patras, 26500 Patras, Greece
Author contributions: Triantos C and Kalafateli M had substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, and final approval of the version to be published.
Correspondence to: Christos Triantos, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Patras, Rion Patras, 26500 Patras, Greece. chtriantos@hotmail.com
Telephone: +30-69-72894651 Fax: +30-26-10625382
Received: November 24, 2013
Revised: February 7, 2014
Accepted: April 11, 2014
Published online: June 27, 2014
Revised: February 7, 2014
Accepted: April 11, 2014
Published online: June 27, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: The significance of primary prevention of bleeding from esophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis is major, considering the high mortality rates that accompany the acute bleeding episode. Current management guidelines suggest the use of either non-selective beta-blockers or endoscopic band ligation with same efficacy between them. In this review, we summarize data from randomized clinical trials or prospective studies together with meta-analytical data, when applicable, to present the most updated recommendations on primary prevention of esophageal variceal bleeding.