Objective: Effective and safe reduction of variceal pressure by pharmacological means.
Methods: Twenty patients with portal hypertension and large esophageal varices. Ten patients received i.v. nitroglycerin (300 micrograms-bolus) and an equal number received a combination of i.v. nitroglycerin (150 micrograms) and metoclopramide (20-mg bolus). Continuous measurement of variceal pressure and systemic hemodynamics was carried out.
Results: Compared with the baseline, the variceal pressure was reduced at 10 min after injection of 300 micrograms nitroglycerin (22.3 +/- 7.9 vs. 17.3 +/- 7 mm Hg, p, not significant); the percentage reduction was 23.5 +/- 15.8%. With the combination of low dose (150 micrograms) nitroglycerin and metoclopramide, variceal pressure significantly decreased from 23.1 +/- 4.7 to 15.9 +/- 5.9 mm Hg (p < 0.01) (a reduction of 29.5 +/- 24.1%). There was no significant alteration in the heart rate or mean arterial pressure with either regimen.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that a combination of i.v. metoclopramide and low-dose nitroglycerin reduces variceal pressure more effectively than high-dose nitroglycerin used alone. This combination should be further evaluated in the control of acute variceal bleeding.