Screening and Surveillance of Varices in Patients with Cirrhosis

Gastro-esophageal varices (GEV) and variceal hemorrhage (VH) are clinical milestones in the natural history of cirrhosis, as they are closely related to the severity of portal hypertension and define specific stages in disease progression. Variceal hemorrhage is a life-threatening complication of cirrhosis and is one of the clinical complications that defines cirrhosis decompensation. The goal of screening and surveillance of varices is to identify patients with GEV at a high risk of bleeding, so that prevention strategies can be implemented.

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