Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
-
Gastroesophageal varices bleeding is a major complication in patients with cirrhosis. Gastric varices (GVs) occur in approximately 20% of patients with portal hypertension. However, GV bleeding develops in only 25% of patients with GV and requires more transfusion and has higher mortality than esophageal variceal (EV) bleeding. ⋯ Although endoscopic injection of cyanoacrylate is superior to sclerotherapy and band ligation, and has remained the treatment of choice for treating acute GV bleeding, the outcome of this treatment is still unsatisfactory. New treatment options, such as thrombin injection, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts, or balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration, have shown promising results for acute GV bleeding. However, randomized controlled trials are needed to compare the efficacy of these therapies with cyanoacrylate.
-
Remote cerebellar hemorrhage (RCH) is an unpredictable and rare complication of spinal surgery. We report five cases of RCH following cervical spinal surgery, and summarize another seven similar cases from the literature. Dural opening with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypovolemia seems to be an important factor contributing to RCH following cervical spinal surgery. ⋯ Severe cases that involved surgical intervention because of evidence of brainstem compression or hydrocephalus also had acceptable outcomes, compared to spontaneous CH. It has been suggested that one way to prevent RCH is to avoid extensive perioperative loss of CSF, by paying attention to surgical positioning during spinal surgery. We also underline the importance of early diagnosis and CSF expansion in the early treatment of RCH.