ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a new therapy for variceal bleeding. Immediate technical and short-term clinical results have been reported. This study was undertaken to evaluate mid-term outcome after TIPS in patients who successfully underwent the procedure for variceal bleeding. METHODS: Ninety patients were followed up prospectively by clinical examination and radiological shunt evaluation including Doppler sonography and transjugular portal venography. RESULTS: The average follow-up in surviving patients was 2.2 years. The cumulative survival rate was 60% at 1 year and 51% at 2 years. The rate of cumulative rebleeding was 26% at 1 year and 32% at 2 years. A shunt abnormality was noted in all rebleeding patients. Rebleeding was successfully controlled in all but 1 of the patients who underwent shunt revision. Cumulative detection of stenosis or occlusion was 31% at 1 year and 47% at 2 years. Thirty-eight percent of shunt abnormalities were detected by routine surveillance. Percutaneous shunt revision was attempted in 22 patients and was successful in 21 (95%). CONCLUSIONS: Although mid-term primary patency is limited in many patients by the development of a shunt stenosis or occlusion, shunt function can be maintained in most patients by careful surveillance and periodic percutaneous intervention.
Subject(s)
Esophageal and Gastric Varices/surgery , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/surgery , Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Constriction, Pathologic , Esophageal and Gastric Varices/mortality , Esophageal and Gastric Varices/physiopathology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/mortality , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/physiopathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical/methods , Prognosis , Prospective Studies , Recurrence , Survival Rate , Vascular PatencyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of new or worsened hepatic encephalopathy after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) and to ascertain which clinical characteristics are associated with this complication. METHODS: At the University of California, San Francisco, over 22 months, TIPS were placed successfully in 108 adults. Seventy-seven patients in whom it was possible to assess the development of encephalopathy comprised the study population. Clinically significant encephalopathy was assessed at protocol clinic follow-up and, in some cases, by phone contact with the patient and the referring physician. Post-TIPS encephalopathy was defined as new onset of clinical encephalopathy requiring treatment or worsening of preexisting encephalopathy within 1 yr of TIPS. RESULTS: The overall incidence of new or worsened encephalopathy was 23% (18/77). Post-TIPS encephalopathy was well controlled with lactulose in 78% of cases and was progressive in 22%. Multivariate analysis showed that an increased risk of encephalopathy was associated with an etiology of liver disease other than alcohol [relative risk (RR) 9.2, p = 0.0052], female gender (RR 3.0, p = 0.029), and hypoalbuminemia (RR 2.2 for each 1 g/dl decrease, p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic encephalopathy is a common complication of TIPS that can be controlled medically in most patients. The identification of clinical variables associated with an increased risk of encephalopathy may be useful in the selection of appropriate candidates for this procedure.
