Syed Irfan Ahmed, Siddique Akbar Satti, Muhammad Naseemullah, Muhammad Habib.
Ethanolamine Oleate Versus Absolute Alcohol in Endoscopic Sclerotherapy of Oesophageal Varices: A Prospective, Randomised, Multicentre Study.
J Rawal Med Coll Jan ;6(1):8-11.

Background: To compare the efficacy and safety of absolute alcohol and 5% ethanolamine oleate as sclerosing agents in patients with oesophageal varices. Methods: This prospective, randomized, multicentre study comprised 75 patients (47 males and 28 females), of chronic liver disease with oesophageal varices, fifty of whom were placed in Group A and twenty-five assigned to Group B. All patients in Group A received 5%, ethanolamine oleate during sclerotherapy sessions. In Group B patients, absolute alcohol was used as the sclerosing agent. Results: The average number of sessions required to obliterate varices was 5.9 using 5% ethanolamine oleate and 5.1 when absolute alcohol was employed as sclerosing agent. Seventy six percent of varices in Group A and seventy eight percent in Group B were obliterated while twenty percent in both groups showed a marked decrease in size. Conclusions: Absolute alcohol compares favourably to 5% ethanolamine oleate as a sclerosant for oesophageal varices. Both are safe and effective, with absolute alcohol being more potent and patients requiring approximately one sclerotherapy session less when it is used to obliterate the varices.

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