Treatment of portal hypertension
Lifestyle changes such as these can help treat portal hypertension: improving your diet avoiding alcohol consumption exercising regularly quitting smoking if you smoke Medications such as beta-blockers are also important to help reduce your blood pressure and relax your blood vessels. Other medications, such as propranolol and isosorbide, may help lower the pressure in the portal vein, too. They can also reduce the risk of more internal bleeding. If you’re experiencing ascites, your doctor may prescribe a diuretic to help reduce fluid levels in your body. Sodium must also be severely restricted to help reduce fluid retention. A treatment called sclerotherapy or banding uses a solution that can help stop bleeding in the blood vessels of your liver. Banding involves the placement of rubber bands to block unhealthy blood flow to enlarged veins, known as varices or varicose veins, in your digestive system. Another increasingly popular therapy is called nonsurgical transjugular intrahepatic portal-systemic shunt (TIPSS). This therapy helps control acute bleeding. It creates new pathways for blood to flow from the portal vein into other blood vessels.