Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt for Preventing Rebleeding of Esophageal Varices in Patients with Portal Cavernous Transformation.

Recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding and/or refractory ascites in patients with cavernous transformation of the portal vein (CTPV) is associated with a high fatality rate. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) provides a treatment option for preventing esophageal variceal rebleeding and/or refractory ascites. This retrospective study evaluated the safety and efficacy of TIPS for the patients involved. The records of 41 consecutive patients with CTPV who underwent TIPS at our institution from January 2015 to May 2019 were reviewed. Among the 41 patients, 36 patients had variceal rebleeding only, and 5 patients exhibited both variceal rebleeding and refractory ascites. Ten of these patients underwent TIPS via a transjugular pathway alone; a combined transjugular/transhepatic pathway and a combined transjugular/transsplenic pathway were adopted for 21 and 3 patients, respectively; and the remaining 7 patients failed TIPS. TIPS succeeded in 34 of 41 (82.9%) patients. Four of 34 patients with CTPV were successfully cured with a thick collateral caval stent shunt operation. After TIPS, the mean portosystemic pressure gradient declined from 24.60 ± 6.15 mmHg to 15.89 ± 4.08 mmHg (P < 0.01). The occurrence rate of variceal rebleeding in the TIPS success group was lower than that in the TIPS failure group (11.8% vs 42.9%, P < 0.05). The occurrence rate of recurrent ascites in the TIPS failure group was greater than that in the TIPS success group (75% vs 15.8%, P < 0.05). TIPS patency was 76.5% (26 of 34 patients). During the follow-up time (median 12.64 months), the rate of hepatic encephalopathy was 5.9%, and the survival rate was 85.3%. TIPS is an effective and safe alternative therapy for preventing esophageal variceal rebleeding and/or refractory ascites in patients who exhibit CTPV, and these findings may be beneficial to clinical research.

Chen JW ，Chen PF ，Li J ，Duan XH ，Ren JZ ，Zhang WG ... -  《-》

Efficacy, feasibility and safety of TIPS in the treatment of recurrent portal hypertension with variceal bleeding after open splenectomy and esophagogastric devascularization.

To investigate the efficacy, feasibility, and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) as a treatment for patients with recurrent portal hypertension with variceal bleeding (RPHVB) who have previously undergone open splenectomy and esophagogastric devascularization (OSED). The data were retrospectively retrieved from 39 cirrhotic RPHVB patients who had undergone OSED from August 2015 to December 2020. All patients were treated with TIPS using the Viabahn stent. Out of the 39 patients included in the study, TIPS was successfully performed in 38 patients with a success rate of 97.44%. One patient had a failed attempt due to cavernous transformation of the portal vein (CTPV). Among the 38 patients who underwent TIPS, 33 patients also underwent varicose vein embolization, while the remaining 5 patients only underwent TIPS procedure. A total of 39 Viabahn stents were implanted, with 5 patients receiving stents expanded to their nominal diameter of 8 mm and the remaining 33 patients having their shunt maintained at a diameter of 6 mm. The postoperative hemostasis rate was 97.37% (37/38). The portal vein pressure (PVP) and portal pressure gradient (PPG) decreased significantly from (31.28 ± 6.24) and (20.61 ± 5.14) mmHg to (19.58 ± 4.69) and (9.24 ± 3.07) mmHg, respectively (P < 0.001). During the follow-up period, the rebleeding rate was 6.09% (2/29), while the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and shunt dysfunction was 13.79% (4/29) for each. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt is an effective, feasible and safe treatment for RPHVB patients who have previously undergone OSED. A satisfactory clinical outcome could be achieved with a 6 mm-diameter shunt in most patients.

Wang Z ，Zhang Z ，Guo X ，Xu W ，Wei N ，Zhang Q ，Zu M ，Xu H ... -  《-》

Efficacy and safety of precision-guided transjugular extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TEPS) in the management of cavernous transformation of the portal vein with portal hypertension: a case series.

Performing a Transjugular intrahepatic portal system shunt (TIPS) in patients with portal vein cavernous transformation (CTPV) poses significant challenges. As an alternative, transjugular extrahepatic portal vein shunt (TEPS) may offer a potential solution for these patients. Nonetheless, the effectiveness and safety of TEPS remain uncertain. This case series study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TEPS in treating patients with CTPV portal hypertension complications. The study encompassed a cohort of 22 patients diagnosed with CTPV who underwent TEPS procedures. Of these, 13 patients manifested recurrent hemorrhagic episodes subsequent to conventional therapies, 8 patients grappled with recurrent or refractory ascites, and 1 patient experienced acute bleeding but refused endoscopic treatment. Comprehensive postoperative monitoring was conducted for all patients to rigorously evaluate both the technical and clinical efficacy of the intervention, as well as long-term outcomes. The overall procedural success rate among the 22 patients was 95.5% (21/22).During the TEPS procedure, nine patients were guided by percutaneous splenic access, three patients were guided by percutaneous hepatic access, five patients were guided by transmesenteric vein access from the abdomen, and two patients were guided by catheter marking from the hepatic artery. Additionally, guidance for three patients was facilitated by pre-existing TIPS stents. The postoperative portal pressure gradient following TEPS demonstrated a statistically significant decrease compared to preoperative values (24.95 ± 3.19 mmHg vs. 11.48 ± 1.74 mmHg, p < 0.01).Although three patients encountered perioperative complications, their conditions ameliorated following symptomatic treatment, and no procedure-related fatalities occurred. During a median follow-up period of 14 months, spanning a range of 5 to 39 months, we observed four fatalities. Specifically, one death was attributed to hepatocellular carcinoma, while the remaining three were ascribed to chronic liver failure. During the follow-up period, no instances of shunt dysfunction were observed. Precision-guided TEPS appears to be a safe and efficacious intervention for the management of CTPV.

Zhang L ，Zhu YJ ，Wang XQ ，Wang RF ，Dong L ，Yin L ，Lv WF ，Cheng DL ，Zhou CZ ... -  《-》

Clinical Outcomes of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Among Cirrhosis Patients With Recurrent Esophageal Variceal Bleeding.

Background Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) has been shown to reduce the risk of rebleeding among patients with recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding. However, the impact of TIPS on survival remains uncertain. This study took on this challenge to determine if TIPS has any impact on all-cause inpatient mortality during the hospitalization in which it is performed and if it impacts all-cause 30-day readmission rates when compared to patients who only undergo esophageal variceal banding (EVB) for recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project - National Readmission Database 2019. All adult patients who had a diagnosis of cirrhosis, were hospitalized once for esophageal variceal bleeding requiring EVB in 2019, and then were hospitalized again later in the year for recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding requiring either TIPS or EVB were included. This second hospitalization in which patients either received TIPS or EVB only was considered as the index hospitalization. Patients with missing data and patients who were discharged in December were excluded. The primary outcome was all-cause 30-day readmission rates among patients who either received TIPS or EVB only. The secondary outcomes included: (i) incidence of all-cause inpatient mortality; and (ii) length of hospital stay during index hospitalization. Patients who underwent TIPS were matched with patients who underwent EVB only on age, sex, and baseline comorbidities. After propensity score matching, survival analysis was performed to compare the all-cause 30-day readmission rates after the index hospitalization, between patients who either received TIPS or EVB only during the index hospitalization. χ2 test was used to compare the inpatient mortality. As the data did not have a normal distribution, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the length of index hospitalization between patients who either received TIPS or EVB only. The alpha criterion was set at 0.05 for all statistical tests. Results This study found no difference in all-cause 30-day readmission rates between patients who underwent either TIPS or EVB only for recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding (hazard ratio: 1.24, 95%CI: 0.73-2.12, P = 0.4). In the exploratory analysis, it was noted that the rate of recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding, among patients who were readmitted within 30 days was lower in the TIPS group (13.3%) when compared to the EVB group (50%) with a risk ratio of 0.27 (95%CI: 0.10-0.72, P = 0.003). Although it was not statistically significant, the inpatient mortality rate during the index hospitalization appeared to be lower in the TIPS group when compared to the EVB group (4.2% vs 10.08%, respectively). Patients who underwent TIPS were hospitalized three days longer than patients who underwent EVB only. Conclusion TIPS does not reduce all-cause 30-day readmission rates but is associated with reduced 30-day readmission rates secondary to recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding. TIPS shows a modest survival advantage during index hospitalization when compared to EVB only.

Shafiq M ，Khan MA ，Khan S 《-》

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) with variceal embolization reduces rebleeding risk for patients with portal pressure gradient over 12 mmHg: A long-term follow-up study.

Bai Y ，Liu J ，Wu W ，Zhou B ，Sun B ，Yao W ，Liu X ，Zhao H ，Guo Y ，Jiang X ，Liang B ，Yang L ，Zheng C ... -  《-》