Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO)
What is Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO), Portal hypertension refers to high blood pressure in the liver. One of the major possible complications of portal hypertension is gastric variceal bleeding. Varices are dilated vessels which may rupture, causing variceal bleeding. Gastric variceal bleeding describes the bleeding that occurs when dilated vessels in the stomach rupture, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates.
BRTO is a minimally invasive technique that is used to treat gastric variceal bleeding. The procedure involves blocking the dilated vessels, reducing the risk of rupture. It can be used in addition to or as an alternative to TIPS, which is the primary treatment for gastric varices. TIPS aims to relieve the pressure on the dilated vessels by creating new connections between blood vessels in the liver using a shunt.
