eng Science and Education Publishing American Journal of Medical Case Reports 2374-216X 2019-04-24 7 4 62 66 10.12691/ajmcr-7-4-3 AJMCR2019743 article Sadat Iqbal 1 Michelle Likhtshteyn 1 Daniel O’Brien 1 Samy I. McFarlane Samy.mcfarlane@downstate.edu 1 Manuel Martinez 1 2 Department of Internal Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA Duodenal varices are a rare complication of portal hypertension; with cirrhosis being the most common cause. Reports regarding the disease prognosis and natural history are limited. In addition to the diagnostic difficulty, ectopic duodenal varices pose a significant therapeutic challenge owing to the lack of specific management guidelines. Given the high risk of rupture, they can have devastating clinical outcomes. Rupture typically presents as a gastrointestinal hemorrhage and requires emergent interventions. We present a case of duodenal varix seen on upper endoscopy in a patient with portal hypertension and cirrhosis, together with review of the literature outlining the current understanding of this disease entity. We also highlight the pathogenetic mechanisms as well as the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for this potentially fatal disease. http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajmcr/7/4/3/ajmcr-7-4-3.pdf duodenal varices gastrointestinal hemorrhage cirrhosis portal hypertension