A case of gastric varices with gastropericardiac shunt successfully treated by balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration via the pericardiophrenic vein using a microballoon catheter

Gastric fundal varices developed in a 72-year-old female patient with liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus infection after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for esophageal varices. Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) imaging demonstrated that gastrorenal shunts were absent as the drainage vessels of the varices, and the blood flows drained mainly into the pericardiophrenic vein. Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) was performed using a microballoon catheter to prevent bleeding from the gastric varices. The left inferior phrenic vein detectable as the second drainage vessel by venography was embolized with metallic coils and ethanolamine oleate solution was injected into the varices following occlusion of blood flow with a microballoon located in the pericardiophrenic vein. CT examination performed 7 days following B-RTO therapy revealed that the blood flow had disappeared with thrombus formation in the varices. B-RTO therapy with a microballoon catheter may be a useful therapy for gastric fundal varices even in cases without gastrorenal shunts, if the main drainage vessels are determined.