Endoscopic Band Ligation Versus Argon Plasma Coagulation for the Treatment of Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia: a Randomized Clinical Trial

Endoscopic Band Ligation vs Argon Plasma Coagulation for the Treatment of Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia: a Randomized Clinical Trial

The investigators goal is to compare the standard argon plasma coagulation (APC) treatment with endoscopic band ligation (EBL) in patients with Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia.

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a vascular structural malformation in the stomach that can lead to active or chronic intermittent gastrointestinal bleeding or chronic iron-deficiency anemia.

The current standard endoscopic treatment is with APC. There have been multiple reports and case series in the literature about successful treatment with EBL for GAVE, even in cases where APC was unsuccessful for treatment of GAVE. Our goal is to compare the standard APC treatment with EBL in patients with Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Consecutive patients with GAVE identified at endoscopic examination, patients may have active GI bleeding, chronic anemia or drop in hemoglobin levels.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with previous endoscopic treatment for GAVE within the last 3 months, patients with GAVE without chronic anemia or active bleeding, patients in whom another possible source of GI bleeding is found