Bleeding oesophageal varices in a 9 -year old girl as a late complication of neonatal umbilical catheterization

Bleeding oesophageal varices is a rare condition in children and most of them are usually of extrahepatic causes. Neonatal umbilical catheterization even though safe has been identified as a cause of portal vein thrombosis and oesophaeal varices. We report a 9-year old Nigerian girl who had massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding from oesophageal varices secondary to pulmonary vein stenosis. She had umbilical catheterization for exchange blood transfusion as a neonate. She was sequentially managed with endoscopic sclerotherapy and band ligation We seek to highlight the need for a high index of suspicion of oesophageal varices in children with upper gastrointestinal bleeding who had neonatal umbilical catheterization.