A Randomized Trial of GVS Alone vs. Propranolol

Up to date, the treatment of gastric variceal bleeding (GVB) is still sub-optimal in contrast to the treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB), which already had a big improvement of prognosis in recent two decades. Gastric varices (GV) rarely rupture. However should it occur, the outcome would be worse than rupture of esophageal varies (EV). Rupture of GV is characteristic of a higher rebleeding rate (90%), a requirement for a larger amount of blood transfusion and a higher mortality (40-50%). Therefore, primary prevention of GV rupture is critically important. The management of GV has been focused on treatment of acute GVB. Tissue adhesive (cyanoacrylate) may polymerize and occlude the vascular channels in seconds and obliterate for more than 70% cases of GV. The rebleeding rate after endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection(GVO) of acute GVB is around 30\~40% and expertise is required to reduce the embolic complications and instrumental injuries.GVO may arrest more than 90% active GVB. The 2005 Baveno IV International Consensus and 2007 AASLD Guidelines endorsed that endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection is the first line treatment for acute GVB. However, its efficacy on prevention of first GV bleeding is not known. Non-selective beta-blocker (NSBB) is effective to prevent first and second bleeding from esophageal varices. The 2005 Baveno IV International Consensus and 2007 AASLD Guidelines also endorsed that NSBB is the first choice for the primary prevention of EVB. However, its effect on gastric variceal hemorrhage has never been clarified. Actually, GV usually has a large gastrorenal shunting and the portal pressure of GV is lower than that of EV. For ethical concerns, NSBB is usually be used for primary prevention of GVB, the preventive effect of NSBB had never been proved. Study on the primary prevention of GVB is scanty. This is an important issue prompted by current portal hypertension experts. The investigators have a lot of experience in the treatment of gastric variceal bleeding and published fruitful results in high ranking journals. Therefore, the investigators design a randomized trial to compare the effect of endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection obliteration versus non-selective beta-blocker in the primary prevention of gastric variceal bleeding.