Electrohydrothermoprobe--a simple alternative to laser therapy in the management of acute gastrointestinal haemorrhage.

One hundred and twenty six consecutive patients presenting with upper alimentary bleeding were endoscoped. Seventeen gastric and 11 duodenal lesions with visible blood vessels were identified and cauterised with the electrohydrothermoprobe. One gastric and four duodenal vessels rebled, necessitating surgery. For the gastric vessels this represents about one tenth of the expected rebleeding rate, and is a significant reduction. The technique appears to have no effect on the rebleeding rate in duodenal vessels.