CT Findings after BRTO in Patients with Gastric Varix Bleeding: Can We Predict Varix Recurrence

We wanted to retrospectively evaluate the CT findings after balloon occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) to determine whether the CT findings can predict varix recurrence. Of the 48 patients with gastric varix that was bleeding successfully treated with BRTO between February 2004 and November 2008, 35 of them who underwent follow-up endoscopy and CT were enrolled in this study. The morphologic changes of the gastric varix, including gastrorenal shunt and an afferent vein, were evaluated with the use of CT. Gastric varix recurred in 4 patients and rebleeding occurred in 2. In 22 of 25 patients who underwent CT within 6 months, complete thrombosis of the gastric varix filled with lipiodol was noted, and the gastric varix disappeared without recurrence in all the patients during the long term follow up period. In the other 3 patients who only had thrombosis without lipiodol in the gastric varix, the gastric varices recurred (p=0.0001). The existence of lipiodol, as seen on CT within 6 months after BRTO, was useful to predict complete obliteration of gastric varices without recurrence during the long term follow up period