THE EVALUATION OF ISOLATED GASTRIC VARICES WITH RESPECT TO LATENCY PERIOD BEFORE CLINICAL APPEARANCE; A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

We report a case with bleeding isolated gastric varices developed secondarily 21 years after an abdominal gun-shot-wound trauma. Isolated gastric varices may occur as a result of various factors causing splenic vein obstruction in pancreatic and peripancreatic regions. This process may take from 3 years to 21 years to display full-blown bleeding left sided portal hypertension. We reviewed the time sequences of clinical events in such patients from the literature. Splenectomy used to be the therapy of choice. When a patient with a history of blunt abdominal trauma comes to the emergency room with an upper gastrointestinal bleeding, physician should keep in mind that fundal varices could be the cause of this bleeding to manage the patient more rationally. Key words: Isolated gastric varices, splenic vein occlusion, left-sided portal hypertension.