Cryotherapy for GAVE

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), classically termed "watermelon stomach," is a condition of chronic acute blood loss in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and can lead to common utilization of packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion. This condition occurs in 0.3% of endoscopic studies and 4% of...

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), classically termed "watermelon stomach," is a condition of chronic acute blood loss in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and can lead to common utilization of packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion. This condition occurs in 0.3% of endoscopic studies and 4% of studies performed for chronic or acute blood loss anemia.1,2 GAVE is commonly associated with autoimmune disease in 60% of cases and chronic liver disease in 30% of cases.2-4 Given the association with chronic liver disease, GAVE can be mistaken for other GI pathologies such as portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG).11,12 Therefore, identification of GAVE is important in the management of this condition. Historically there have been 1 series highlighting the use of a monopolar probe and heater probe to treat GAVE. As these therapies have a low depth of thermal penetration, these therapies are not commonly utilized for GAVE.13,14 The most commonly implemented endoscopic therapy is argon plasma coagulation (APC). Among the largest studies of APC, the efficacy for treatment of GAVE is variable5,6 Additional outcomes include a reduction in the number of PRBC transfused in patients with GAVE that were treated with APC.7 In addition to APC, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has also been evaluated in the setting of GAVE, leading to a decrease in the transfusions needed during follow-up.15 Similarly, cryotherapy using a spray catheter has been evaluated for GAVE.8,9 In these studies, the patients did demonstrate endoscopic improvement, lower transfusion requirements, and normalization of their hemoglobin. Despite, these results, the spray cryotherapy device requires the use of a venting tube to prevent complications and carries with it technical limitations that can make ablation difficult. Our study group, which includes University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Geisinger Medical Center, Columbia University Medical Center and The Cleveland Clinic Foundation of America This group has recently evaluated the first generation balloon cryotherapy device for GAVE, demonstrating efficacy and safety.10 Therefore, in this study we set out to prospectively evaluate the efficacy of a new balloon cryotherapy device for the treatment of GAVE. We predict that balloon cryotherapy will lead to greater than 80% clinical success (need for PRBC transfusion and absent overt bleeding).

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