Successful treatment of endoscopically unmanageable rectal varices by balloon-occluded antegrade transvenous sclerotherapy followed by microcoil embolization.

The present report describes two cases of endoscopically unmanageable rectal varices that were treated by balloon-occluded antegrade transvenous sclerotherapy (BATS) followed by microcoil embolization. Follow-up endoscopy confirmed eradication of the rectal varices. Balloon-occluded rectal venography showed stasis of contrast material and sclerosing agent for 30 minutes in both cases of rectal varices, which indicated that the inflow vessel was a single dilated superior rectal vein without other minor inflow vessels. BATS appears to be a feasible therapeutic option for the treatment of rectal varices of this hemodynamic type.