ABSTRACT
Objective To Study the effect of splenectomy plus endoscopic varices ligation (SEVL) in the treatment of portal hypertension. Methods SEVL was carried out in 38 patients with portal hypertension from January 2000 to June 2002. The authors compared hemodynamic parameters and gastric emptying time before and after the operation. The incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, the disappearance rate of esophageal varicosis, the outcomes of portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) and the incidence of complications were recorded at postoperative 3 weeks, 6 months, 12 and 18 months, respectively. Results Postoperatively, the free portal pressure, portal flow volume and velocity were significantly reduced in all the cases ( P 0.05). Portal thrombosis was seen in 6 cases (6/38, 15.8%). Conclusions SEVL has little influence on gastric emptying and PHG, offering a high disappearance rate of varicosis and a low incidence of complications.