Sarin 2002.

Methods	N‐butyl‐2‐cyanoacrylate vs. absolute alcohol for active or recent bleeding from isolated (IGV1 or GOV2) gastric varices. 1995 to 1998. Generation of allocation sequence: table of random numbers; concealment of allocation sequence: not described. Blinding: participants and personnel not blinded. Intention‐to‐treat: no. Interim analysis: none. Follow‐up period: 14 months.
Participants	India. Single‐centre randomised clinical trial. 37 participants, 17 in alcohol group, 20 in cyanoacrylate group. Active or acute bleeding from IGV1 or GOV2 only gastric varices probed by endoscopy. Portal hypertension. Treatment made after admission. Similar demographics and clinical characteristics in both groups. Same general treatment: vasoactive drugs (somatostatin or octreotide 48 to 120 hours after admission).
Interventions	Experimental: cyanoacrylate 0.5 mL plus lipiodol 0.7 mL. 21‐gauge needle. 1.2 to 4.6 mL. Control: absolute alcohol group. 21‐gauge needle. 2 to 9 paravariceal injections and 1 to 3 intravariceal. 0.5 to 1.0 mL each. Concomitant oesophageal varices: only isolated varices were treated. Oesophageal was non‐existent or small. There was no treatment for them. Number of sessions to eradicate (mean ± SD): cyanoacrylate: 2.0 ± 1.6. Alcohol: 4.7 ± 3.2. Follow‐up endoscopy: every week until obliteration. Follow‐up post‐obliteration: every 3 to 6 weeks. Treatment for re‐bleeding: emergency endoscopy, same method. 2 failures: emergency rescue surgery.
Outcomes	Control active bleeding. Variceal obliteration. Re‐bleeding. Mortality. Failure of treatment. Complications.
Notes	Mixed acute and past bleeding. Only isolated varix was chosen (GOV2 and IGV1 were considered Isolated varices).
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Table of random numbers after initial endoscopy "Patients were randomised using a table of random numbers immediately at the time of the initial endoscopy", pp 1011.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not described.
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Participants were not blinded. Methods of blinding personnel were not described.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not described.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	No losses of follow‐up are described. No intention‐to‐treat.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All primary (success controlling bleeding,obliteration and re‐bleeding) and secondary (time for obliteration, recurrence and bleeding related mortality) outcomes were described. Description of outcomes in methods match up to those in results, pp 1012, tables 1 and 3, pp 1012 to 1013.
Other bias	Unclear risk	Only isolated varix. Mixed acute and past bleeding.