Portal hypertension is a symptom complex that develops as a result of impaired blood flow in the portal system, the leading symptom of which is an increase in pressure in the portal vein over 12 mm Hg. Art. According to statistics in developed countries, 90% of cases of portal hypertension are associated with liver cirrhosis. The most formidable and fatal complication of portal hypertension is bleeding from varicose veins of the esophagus and stomach. The risk of bleeding is 4–5% per year, and in the presence of varicose veins of the esophagus from 15 to 30% or more, the mortality rate is 50%, with a recurrence rate of 50 to 90%. And the fact that today there is no unified approach to solving this problem in the world prompted us to take a short literary review on this topic.