Safety of Anticoagulant Therapy After Endoscopic Treatment

Acute variceal bleeding is one of the most serious complications of liver cirrhosis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) aggravates portal hypertension and worsens hemorrhage, which Increases the risk of endoscopic therapy, and PVT has been shown to be associated with a longer time to variceal eradication, a higher risk of variceal relapse and rebleeding. So, PVT should be treated earlier. Data regarding the safety and initiation time of anticoagulant therapy in PVT patients with variceal bleeding after endoscopic therapy is lacking. Aim of this study is to verify the efficacy and safety of NWS anticoagulation therapy in PVT patients with cirrhosis and AVB after endoscopic therapy and further to explored the appropriate initiation time of NWS anticoagulation therapy after EVL in these patients.

Inclusion criteria

• clinical diagnosis of cirrhosis
• Portal hypertension with esophageal and gastric varices
• diagnosis of PVT by imaging examination
• undergo endoscopic therapy

Exclusion criteria

• older than 75 years
• uncontrolled active bleeding
• hepatocellular carcinoma or other extrahepatic malignancy
• on-going or received antithrombotic/thrombolytic treatment
• previous treatment with TIPSS
• cavernous transformation of the portal vein
• platelet count lower than 10*10 ^ 9/L, creatinine more than 170 μmol/L
• Budd-Chiari syndrome
• pregnancy or breast-feeding period
• severe cardiopulmonary diseases, severe systemic infection or sepsis
• inability to sign informed consent