Study	Reason for exclusion
Cello 1982	Randomisation was to two groups, sclerotherapy and oesophageal transection. The results were compared retrospectively to those of a separate group of patients who had received total shunts.
Escorsell 1997	Randomised groups included patients who received TIPS versus medical therapy. Endoscopic therapy was used acutely in after a variceal bleed.
Kitano 1992	Patients were included who had not previously bled from varices.
Krieger 1997	The study end‐points are not the subject of this review.
Meddi 1999	Cost‐analysis study, possible overlap of previously published results.
Orloff 1994	Variceal bleeding not controlled prior to randomisation. Endoscopic therapy not used in the medically treated group of patients.
Paquet 1990	Non‐randomised study.
Resnick 1974	Endoscopic therapy not employed in the medically treated group.
Reynolds 1981	Endoscopic therapy not employed in the medically treated group.
Rossi 1994	The study outcome measures are not the subject of this review. Only seven patients randomised.
Sanyal 1994	The study outcome measures not a subject of this review.
Teres/Baroni 1987	Non randomised study. Variceal bleeding not controlled prior to randomisation.
Tripathi 2001	Randomised groups included those who received TIPS compared to those who received TIPS and variceal banding.
Urbistondo 1996	Child's C patients not randomised to the DSRS arm. Unable to extract data only for Child's A and B patients from the study. Unable to contact the authors. In addition, small study with unacceptably large attrition to follow‐up (more than 40%).