Balloon-occluded antegrade transvenous obliteration via transjugular intrahepatic access for bleeding rectal varices

Abstract

Bleeding rectal varices in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension can be difficult to treat endoscopically or surgically. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation offers a minimally invasive method to effectively decompress the portal system but may be contraindicated in patients with poor hepatic reserve or hepatic encephalopathy. We present a case of a 44-year-old woman with persistent rectal variceal bleeding, who was a poor candidate for endoscopic intervention, surgery, or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. We therefore performed balloon-occluded antegrade transvenous obliteration of the rectal varices via transjugular intrahepatic access, which effectively controlled her rectal bleeding. Keywords: Rectal varices, Portal hypertension, Cirrhosis, Gastrointestinal bleeding, Balloon-occluded antegrade transvenous obliteration (BATO)