Today Parker had a routine procedure done at Oschner Medical Center. It's one of our first procedures done outside of Children's Hospital, but it was such a smooth process. Parker's liver condition, Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis, can cause what are known as esophogial varices. These varices can be extremely dangerous, and sometimes even fatal. Essentially, varices are abnormally enlarged veins in the esophagus. It doesn't sound so bad, but the problem is that these particular veins are smaller, and not designed to carry large volumes of blood. The added pressure can cause the veins to begin leaking or rupturing. If this happens, the patient needs care immediately or they risk bleeding out. If the varices are found before they become critical, a doctor can "band" them. Essentially the doctor will wrap a band around the vein, preventing it from bleeding.
Our area has finally gotten the it's first pediatric hepatologist, and she wanted to take a look at Parkers esophogus and see if he had any varices, what stage they were at, and if any of them needed to be banded. We are extremely happy to report that they did not find ANY varices! she said that everything looked perfect, and that we would not be repeating the procedure annually, unless he begins having complications. Best. News. Ever!
