Ligation of Esophageal Varices

AbstractEsophageal varices are present in majority of the patients with hepatic cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis, especially in those with advanced liver disease. Variceal size, red wale marks on varices, and advanced liver disease are risk factors for variceal hemorrhage. Esophageal variceal ligation (EVL) is a standard endoscopic procedure in the management of acute variceal bleeding and is beneficial in the primary and secondary prophylaxis of esophageal variceal bleeding. Multiband devices are commonly used for EVL. Various endoscopic techniques, common clinical scenarios, and procedure-related complications in EVL are described in the video manuscript provided. This article is part of an expert video encyclopedia