Endoscopic Band Ligation for Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia: Report of Two Cases at a Mexican Tertiary Care Center.

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is an uncommon yet clinically significant cause of chronic upper gastrointestinal bleeding, frequently associated with chronic anemia and recurrent transfusion requirements. Although argon plasma coagulation (APC) remains the most widely used endoscopic therapy, endoscopic band ligation (EBL) is a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of GAVE. We report two female patients with distinct clinical backgrounds and endoscopic presentations of GAVE who underwent EBL at a Mexican tertiary care center where APC was temporarily unavailable. One patient had rheumatoid arthritis and presented with melena and severe anemia, while the other had liver cirrhosis with a history of esophageal varices and presented with chronic anemia and melena. Both patients experienced clinical and hematologic improvement following EBL, with no procedure-related complications. Endoscopic follow-up demonstrated marked regression of GAVE lesions, with one patient requiring a second session because of residual lesions. These findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting EBL as a safe and effective therapeutic option for GAVE across different clinical presentations.