Efficacy of Octreotide and Sclerotherapy in the Treatment of Acute Variceal Bleeding in Cirrhotic Patients: A Prospective, Multicentric, and Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Sclerotherapy is the most widely used method for treatment of acute variceal bleeding. Previous reports have suggested that octreotide infusion is as effective as sclerotherapy. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy and safety of octreotide in comparison with sclerotherapy in controlling variceal bleeding. Methods: Seventy-six cirrhotic patients were randomized to receive either sclerotherapy (n = 37) or octreotide (n