Splenic infarction: an unusual complication of ethanolamine oleate injection.

Sclerotherapy with ethanolamine oleate is an acceptable approach for treating esophageal varices, peptic ulcer disease, and Dieulafoy s lesions. Most of the re− ported complications associated with ethanolamine oleate have been anecdotal and include portal/mesenteric vein thrombosis [1], hepatotoxicity [2], acute renal failure [3], purulent meningitis [4], noncardiogenic pulmonary edema [5], spinal cord paralysis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. We report here a patient with a Dieulafoy s lesion in whom treatment with ethanolamine ole− ate injection was complicated by splenic infarction. To the best of our knowledge, no similar cases have previously been re− ported. This report should alert endosco− pists to the potential risks of ethanola− mine oleate injection in the treatment of bleeding vessels.