Once the acute bleeding episode has been stabilized, treatment options are prescribed based on the severity of your symptoms and how well your liver is functioning. If your liver is working adequately, variceal bleeding can be managed with relatively simple endoscopic therapy and medications. However, when this is not successful, more complex treatment requires reducing the pressure in the veins. If your variceal bleeding is associated with end stage liver disease, you may require a liver transplant.
Endoscopic therapy consists of either sclerotherapy or banding.
Sclerotherapy is a procedure in which the varices are injected with a solution that causes thrombosis and scarring. Banding is a procedure in which rubber bands are used to block the blood supply to the varices.