ANY UNDERSTANDING of the problem of esophageal varices requires some knowledge of the anatomy of the portal vein and its collateral veins. It is because of the gradual occlusion of this vein and the forced development of the collateral system that these varices occur.
The portal vein which courses through the liver represents a confluence of the superior mesenteric vein, the inferior mesenteric vein, the splenic vein and the coronary, cystic and parumbilical veins and their tributaries. The portal system may be defined to include all the veins that drain the abdominal portion of the digestive tube.
The cause of the esophageal varices is the same as that of some varices elsewhere in the body, e. g., hemorrhoids, rests in the mechanical obstruction of the portal vein. Any of a series of possible causes which would effect a gradual closure of this venous system and which permitted time for the