'Downhill' Esophageal Varices
- 1 December 1978
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in Archives of Surgery
- Vol. 113 (12) , 1463-1464
- https://doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1978.01370240085016
Abstract
• The submucosal venous network of the esophagus is part of the collateral system that develops following superior vena caval obstruction from any cause. The direction of flow in these thin-walled, valveless veins is "downhill," towards the azygous vein or to the inferior vena cava. Bleeding from upper esophageal varices is extremely rare. This case report describes a patient with massive bleeding from upper esophageal varices secondary to superior vena caval obstruction by a malignant thyroid tumor. Total thyroidectomy relieved the obstruction, with cessation of hemorrhage and subsequent disappearance of the varices. (Arch Surg 113:1463-1464, 1978)This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
- Bypass of Superior Vena Cava with Spiral Vein GraftThe Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 1976
- Replacement of Superior Vena Cava with the Spiral Composite Vein Graft: A Versatile TechniqueThe Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 1974
- A Surgical Approach To Bleeding Downhill VaricesAngiology, 1973
- Obere Ösophagusvarizen bei StrumaRöFo - Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der Röntgenstrahlen und der bildgebenden Verfahren, 1973
- Varices of the Upper Esophagus in Superior Vena Caval ObstructionRadiology, 1963