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The combination of pharmacotherapy (commonly terlipressin or octreotide) and endoscopic therapy (mainly endoscopic band ligation [EBL]) is superior to either treatment alone in achieving initial control of bleeding and 5-day hemostasis in patients with variceal hemorrhage. However, a head-to-head trial comparing the safety and efficacy of EBL plus either terlipressin or octreotide has not been performed.
To address this issue, investigators conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center trial to compare the two adjuvant therapies in 324 cirrhotic patients presenting with variceal hemorrhage. Following EBL, patients were randomized to receive intravenous infusions of either terlipressin (2-mg bolus followed by 1 mg every 6 hours …