ABSTRACT
Sarcopenia is a common complication of liver cirrhosis and is significantly associated with poor prognosis. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is an important method for the treatment of portal hypertension and its complications. Based on current studies, this article analyzes the association between sarcopenia and the outcomes (hepatic encephalopathy and mortality) of patients with liver cirrhosis after TIPS and the value of improving the predictive ability of existing prognostic models for sarcopenia, as well as the improvement in sarcopenia after TIPS and its significance in the clinical management of patients with liver cirrhosis. A comprehensive analysis of existing reports show that baseline sarcopenia is associated with poor prognosis after TIPS, and it is thus recommended to evaluate nutritional status before TIPS based on radiological examination; TIPS can improve nutritional status and help to achieve reversal or improvement of sarcopenia to a certain extent, and it can also be translated into survival benefit. Therefore, for patients with sarcopenia and a relatively stable disease, TIPS can be performed as soon as possible after comprehensive evaluation.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To evaluate whether underdilated stent could reduce the occurrence of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation.Methods:A total of 197 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, who had underwent TIPS creation at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, were analyzed retrospectively, including 110 males and 87 females with age 25-79 (54±11) years old. Uncovered and covered stents with 8 mm diameter were implanted in all subjects, and then dilated by balloon catheters with 6 mm or 8 mm diameter. The patients were divided into two groups, including underdilated group (6 mm, n=105) and control group (8 mm, n=92).Kaplan-Meier curves were used to illustrate cumulative rate of HE, and the differences were assessed with the log-rank test. Multivariate analyses with a Cox regression model were conducted to explore the risk factors for HE. Results:During a median follow-up period of 29 (12-54) months, 16 (15.2%) patients developed HE in the underdilated group and 27 (29.3%) patients in the control group. There was a significant difference in the cumulative rate of HE ( P=0.014), but no statistical differences were found in terms of variceal rebleeding, shunt dysfunction and survival between the two groups ( P=0.608, P=0.659, P=0.968). In multivariated analysis, group assignment (underdilated vs. control, HR=0.291, 95% CI 0.125-0.674, P=0.004) was identified as an independent risk factor for HE after TIPS creation. Conclusion:Underdilated TIPS could reduced the risk of HE compared with completely dilated TIPS, with comparable risk of variceal rebleeding, shunt dysfunction and mortality. And it is worthy of applying this technique to a large sample of patients in clinical practice.