Randomised trial of octreotide for long term management of cirrhosis after variceal haemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of long term octreotide as adjuvant treatment to programmed endoscopic sclerotherapy after acute variceal haemorrhage in cirrhotic portal hypertension. DESIGN: Randomised clinical trial. SETTING: University hospital. SUBJECTS: 32 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension. INTERVENTIONS: Programmed injection sclerotherapy with subcutaneous octreotide 50 micrograms twice daily for 6 months, or programmed injection sclerotherapy alone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Episodes of recurrent variceal bleeding and survival. RESULTS: Significantly fewer patients receiving combined octreotide and sclerotherapy had episodes of recurrent variceal bleeding compared with patients given sclerotherapy alone (1/16 v 7/16; P = 0.037, Fisher''s exact test), and their survival was significantly improved (P < 0.02, log rank test); this improvement was maintained for 12 months after the end of the study. Combined treatment also resulted in a sustained decrease in portal pressure (median decrease -6.0 mm Hg, interquartile range -10 to -4.75 mm Hg, P = 0.0002) compared with sclerotherapy alone (median increase 1.5 mm Hg, interquartile range 0.25 to 3.25 mm Hg), as well as a significant improvement in liver function as assessed by plasma concentrations of bilirubin, albumin, and alanine aminotransferase and by hepatocyte metabolism of aminopyrine labelled with carbon-14. CONCLUSION: Long term octreotide may be a valuable adjuvant to endoscopic sclerotherapy for acute variceal haemorrhage in cirrhotic portal hypertension.