Classification of gastric lesions associated with portal hypertension.

There are two gastric mucosal lesions which commonly occur in patients with portal hypertension; one is portal hypertensive gastropathy and the other is gastric varices. These lesions occasionally cause fatal haemorrhage. Several classifications for these lesions have been proposed, but none of them have been evaluated prospectively. We consider it better to classify portal hypertensive gastropathy into three stages including non-specific redness, specific mosaic pattern and red spots. Gastric varices may be classified according to form, location and mucosal lesions. Prospective trials are needed to obtain more practical evidence for the accurate classification of these gastric lesions.