Treatment of bleeding rectal varices with transumbilical venous obliteration of the inferior mesenteric vein

Abstract

A 56-year-old male with alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis developed rectal varices. He had a prior history of treatment for esophageal varices with endoscopic variceal ligation. Despite the repeated treatment for rectal varices with endoscopic variceal ligation, endoscopic injection sclerotherapy, and surgery, the bleeding from the rectal varices could not be controlled. Multidetector-row computed tomography and 3D-angiography revealed the hemodynamic profile of the rectal varices. We next approached the rectal varices through the umbilical vein on the abdominal wall, and successfully embolized the varices continuing from the inferior mesenteric vein using coils and a 5% solution of ethanolamine oleate with iopamidol.