Efficacy of endoscopic clipping for bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer: Comparison with topical ethanol injection

OBJECTIVE: Although endoscopic clipping is used widely for the treatment of bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers, clinical trials on its efficacy are scarce . The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of endoscopic clipping for hemostasis from bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers. METHODS: The present study was designed as a retrospective study using hist orical controls. One hundred consecutive patients with bleeding gastroduode nal ulcers were treated by endoscopic clipping. The preceding 91 consecutiv e patients treated by endoscopic pure ethanol injection were regarded as co ntrols. Forty-nine of the clipping group and 41 of the ethanol group had le sions at sites difficult to perform endoscopic manipulation. Hemostatic rat es, rebleeding rates, amounts of blood transfusion, and durations of hospit al stay were analyzed. RESULTS: The hemostatic rate was 96% in both clipping and ethanol groups, w hereas the rebleeding rate was lower (15% vs 29%, p = 0.023) in the former than the latter. In technically difficult cases, the hemostatic rate was co mparable (96 vs 90%). CONCLUSION: In patients with bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers, endoscopic cli pping may be a choice of therapy because of a low rebleeding rate compared with pure ethanol injection. (C) 1999 by Am. Cell. of Gastroenterology.