Obligatory medical device diagnostics.
- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) – endoscopy of the esophagus (food pipe), gastroesophagus (stomach), and upper part of the duodenum (duodenum); for status assessment.
- Esophageal varices stage I: close monitoring if no risk indicators are present.
- Esophageal varices stage II and III: endoscopic therapy (variceal ligation; so-called rubber band ligation) in the context of bleeding prophylaxis.
Further notes
- To assess the severity of portal hypertension (portal vein hypertension), elastography (a procedure that relies on the generation of shear waves produced by the displacement of tissue) can be used in addition to ÖGD – platelet count (number of blood platelets), spleen size, and diameter of the portal vein also provide clues to the severity of the disease.
