Synonyms
Plural of varix
Definition
Varices are pathologically dilated veins. In the digestive system, they are more common in the esophagus or stomach and usually secondary to portal hypertension. They are mostly asymptomatic unless they rupture and bleed.
The portal venous system carries blood from the spleen and digestive system to the liver, where it converges with hepatic artery-derived blood flow in the hepatic sinusoids. If the pressure in these specialized vascular channels increases to 6 mmHg or above, portal hypertension will occur.
Portal hypertension may be due to an increase in portal flow and/or in portal resistance. The increased resistance may be posthepatic, as in Budd-Chiari syndrome; intrahepatic, as in liver cirrhosis; or prehepatic, as in portal vein thrombosis. Cirrhosis is the most common cause of portal hypertension in the western world. Whatever the cause, portal hypertension leads to the expansion of portal vein-systemic collaterals and to reversion of the...
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de Franchis, R., & Baveno, V. Faculty. (2010). Revising consensus in portal hypertension: Report of the Baveno V consensus workshop on methodology of diagnosis and therapy in portal hypertension. Journal of Hepatology, 53, 762–768.
de Franchis, R., & Primignani, M. (2001). Natural history of portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis. Clinics in Liver Disease, 5, 645–663.
de Franchis, R., Pascal, J. P., Ancona, E., Burroughs, A. K., Henderson, M., Fleig, W., Groszmann, R., Bosch, J., Sauerbruch, T., Soederlund, C., et al. (1992). Definitions, methodology and therapeutic strategies in portal hypertension. A Consensus Development Workshop. Journal of Hepatology, 15, 256–261.
Sarin, S. K., Lahoti, D., Saxena, S. P., Murthi, N. S., & Makwane, U. K. (1992). Relation between portal pressure response to pharmacotherapy and risk of recurrent variceal haemorrhage in patients with cirrhosis. Lancet, 346, 1056–1059.
Toubia, N., & Sanyal, A. J. (2008). Portal hypertension and variceal hemorrhage. The Medical Clinics of North America, 92, 551–574.
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© 2017 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Rosa, I., Pereira, A.D. (2017). Varices. In: Carneiro, F., Chaves, P., Ensari, A. (eds) Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1690
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1690
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40560-5
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