Abstract
Portal hypertension leads to the opening up of collateral pathways to bypass the occlusion
or resistance in the portal system. Ectopic varices are formed by such collaterals
at many various sites along the gastrointestinal tract other than the usual location,
that is, gastroesophageal region. Early diagnosis of ectopic varices needs strong
clinical suspicion and contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan as endoscopy may
often fail to pinpoint a source. In contrast to gastric varices where the understanding
of the disease, as well as endovascular management, is widely studied and documented,
the same is not true for ectopic varices due to low incidence. Understanding the applied
anatomy and hemodynamic classification is important to decide the most suitable therapy.
Interventional radiological procedures are aimed at either decompressing the varices
or obliterating them and depend on the patency of the portal system, underlying etiology,
and local expertise.
Keywords
ectopic varices - BRTO - BATO
