Summary of Event: A transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) stent (Viatorr) was misplaced into main portal vein and superior mesenteric vein. This misplaced covered stent was then successfully retrieved using the rigid endobronchial forceps. Teaching Point: Before release the covered portion of the TIPS stent (Viatorr), it is necessary to confirm the position of uncovered portion in portal vein and covered portion in parenchymal tract. The endobronchial forceps technique is a safe and efficient method for retrieving a misplaced TIPS stent.
Device Removal ; Mesenteric Veins ; Methods ; Portal Vein ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical* ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic ; Stents* ; Surgical Instruments*

Transjugular intrahepatic portasystemic shunt (TIPS) is a procedure that inserts an expandable metallic stent into the liver parenchyme by transjugular catheterization. During the past decade, TIPS has been accepted as an alternative to the surgical shunt procedure for controlling the complications of portal hypertension and has become more widely performed. Complications of TIPS include encephalopathy, bleeding, deterioration of liver function and infection. Although periprocedual sepsis has been known since the early days of TIPS stenting, infection by the TIPS device itself has only recently been recognized because of its rare occurrence. The definition of endotipsitis makes it possible to classify it into two groups: definite and probable infection. We report a case of probable endotipsitis with relapsing bacteremia after TIPS for uncontrolled varix bleeding. If relapsing bacteremia without any other clearly attributable source occurs in a patient with TIPS, the possibility of endotipsitis is considered.
Bacteremia ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Liver ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic* ; Sepsis ; Stents ; Varicose Veins

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) are widely used in the management of bleeding gastric varices (GV). More recently, several studies have demonstrated balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) as an effective treatment method for bleeding isolated GV, especially in patients with contraindications for a TIPS placement. Both TIPS and BRTO can effectively treat bleeding GV with low rebleeding rates. Careful patient selection for TIPS and BRTO procedures is required to best treat the patient's individual clinical situation.
Balloon Occlusion ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Methods ; Patient Selection ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical* ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic

BACKGROUNDThe purpose of this article was to clarify the optimal management concerning transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPSs) and surgical shunting in treating portal hypertension.

METHODSAll databases, including CBM, CNKI, WFPD, Medline, EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane up to February 2014, were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing TIPS with surgical shunting. Four RCTs, which were extracted by two independent investigators and were evaluated in postoperative complications, mortality, 2- and 5-year survival, hospital stay, operating time and hospitalization charges.

RESULTSThe morbidity in variceal rehemorrhage was significantly higher in TIPS than in surgical shunts (odds ratio [OR] = 7.45, 95% confidence interval[CI]: (3.93-14.15), P < 0.00001), the same outcomes were seen in shunt stenosis (OR = 20.01, 95% CI: (6.67-59.99), P < 0.000001) and in hepatic encephalopathy (OR = 2.50, 95% CI: (1.63-3.84), P < 0.0001). Significantly better 2-year survival (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: (0.44-0.98), P = 0.04) and 5-year survival (OR = 0.44; 95% CI: (0.30-0.66), P < 0.00001) were seen in patients undergoing surgical shunting compared with TIPS.

CONCLUSIONSCompared with TIPS, postoperative complications and survival after surgical shunting were superior for patients with portal hypertension. Application of surgical shunting was recommended for patients rather than TIPS.

Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; surgery ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical ; adverse effects ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic ; adverse effects

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric varices (GVs) are a major cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis. The current treatments of choice are balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) and the placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). We aimed to compare the efficacy and outcomes of these two methods for the management of GV bleeding. METHODS: This retrospective study included consecutive patients who received BRTO (n=157) or TIPS (n=19) to control GV bleeding from January 2005 to December 2014 at a single tertiary hospital in Korea. The overall survival (OS), immediate bleeding control rate, rebleeding rate and complication rate were compared between patients in the BRTO and TIPS groups. RESULTS: Patients in the BRTO group showed higher immediate bleeding control rates (p=0.059, odds ratio [OR]=4.72) and lower cumulative rebleeding rates (log-rank p=0.060) than those in the TIPS group, although the difference failed to reach statistical significance. There were no significant differences in the rates of complications, including pleural effusion, aggravation of esophageal varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, and portosystemic encephalopathy, although the rate of the progression of ascites was significantly higher in the BRTO group (p=0.02, OR=7.93). After adjusting for several confounding factors using a multivariate Cox analysis, the BRTO group had a significantly longer OS (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=0.44, p=0.01) and a longer rebleeding-free survival (aHR=0.34, p=0.001) than the TIPS group. CONCLUSIONS: BRTO provides better bleeding control, rebleeding-free survival, and OS than TIPS for patients with GV bleeding.
Ascites ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Odds Ratio ; Pleural Effusion ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical* ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of portaazygous disconnection (PAD), portacaval shunt (PCS) and distal splenocaval shunt (DSCS) on the portosytemic shunting (PSS), hepatic function (HF), hepatic mitochondrial respiratory function (HMRF), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and arterial ketone body ratio (KBR) in order to provide a sound basis for selecting suitable operations for patients.

METHODSUsing a cirrhotic portal hypertensive model induced by CCl4/ethanol in Wistar rats, the PSS, HF, HMRF, OGTT and KBR were determined three weeks after PCS, DSCS and PAD.

RESULTSIt was revealed that: (1) In the cirrhotic portal hypertension rats, the PSS increased significantly, HMRF and hepatic reserve function (HRF) decreased significantly when compared with the control rats. (2) At the time of first postoperative week, the mean blood glucose value in the 120-minute OGTT in each PAD, PCS and DSCS groups had significant differences compared with the cirrhotic control group. But during the second and third postoperative weeks, the mean blood glucose values in the 120-minute OGTT in both PAD and DSCS groups had no significant differences compared with the cirrhotic control group except for the PCS group. The values of KBR in the three operative groups decreased significantly compared with the cirrhotic control group during the two postoperative weeks. In the third postoperative week, only the values of KBR in the PCS group had a significant difference compared with the cirrhotic control group. (3) After PCS, the PSS was further increased; HF and HMRF were significantly decreased. Little improvement was found in the third postoperative week. (4) After DSCS and PAD, the above mentioned indices were less influenced, and they were restored more quickly than those in the PCS group.

CONCLUSIONWe found that PAD and DSCS are more desirable than PCS.

Animals ; Hypertension, Portal ; etiology ; surgery ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; complications ; surgery ; Portacaval Shunt, Surgical ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical ; methods ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of transcaval transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in patients with occluded previous TIPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 1996 and December 2000 we performed five transcaval TIPS procedures in four patients with recurrent gastric cardiac variceal bleeding. All four had occluded TIPS, which was between the hepatic and portal vein. The interval between initial TIPS placement and revisional procedures with transcaval TIPS varied between three and 31 months; one patient underwent transcaval TIPS twice, with a 31-month interval. After revision of the occluded shunt failed, direct cavoportal puncture at the retrohepatic segment of the IVC was attempted. RESULTS: Transcaval TIPS placement was technically successful in all cases. In three, tractography revealed slight leakage of contrast materials into hepatic subcapsular or subdiaphragmatic pericaval space. There was no evidence of propagation of extravasated contrast materials through the retroperitoneal space or spillage into the peritoneal space. After the tract was dilated by a bare stent, no patient experienced trans-stent bleeding and no serious procedure-related complications occurred. After successful shunt creation, variceal bleeding ceased in all patients. CONCLUSION: Transcaval TIPS placement is an effective and safe alternative treatment in patients with occluded previous TIPS and no hepatic veins suitable for new TIPS.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices/*surgery ; Feasibility Studies ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*surgery ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Portal Vein/radiography/*surgery ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical/*methods ; *Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic ; Reoperation ; Stents ; Treatment Failure ; Vascular Patency ; Vena Cava, Inferior/radiography/*surgery

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation for the management of portal hypertension in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A literature search of the MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases was conducted. All articles reporting the outcomes of TIPS creation for variceal bleeding and refractory ascites and hepatic hydrothorax in patients with HCC were included. Exclusion criteria were non-English language, sample size < 5, data not extractable, and data reported in another article. RESULTS: A total of 280 patients (mean age, 48–58; male gender, 66%) from five articles were included. TIPS creation was performed for variceal bleeding in 79% and refractory ascites and/or hepatic hydrothorax in 26% of patients. Technical and clinical success was achieved in 99% and 64% of patients, respectively. Clinical failure occurred in 36% of patients due to rebleeding or recurrent bleeding (n = 77) or no resolution or improvement of refractory ascites and hepatic hydrothorax (n = 24). One percent of patient had major complications, including accelerated liver failure (n = 1) and multi-organ failure resulting from hemorrhagic shock (n = 1), all of which resulted in early (i.e., within 30 days) death. Hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 40% of patients after TIPS creation. Lung metastasis was found 1% of patient 5 months (n = 1) and 72 months (n = 1) after TIPS creation. CONCLUSION: TIPS creation seems to be safe and effective for the management of portal hypertension in patients with HCC.
Ascites ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Humans ; Hydrothorax ; Hypertension, Portal ; Liver Failure ; Liver Neoplasms ; Lung ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic ; Sample Size ; Shock, Hemorrhagic

Intervention treatment such as balloon retrograde or anterograde transvenous obliteration has been used for management of refractory hepatic encephalopathy as well as gastric variceal bleeding. Recently, plug-assisted retrograde transvenous obliteration without a help of balloon was newly developed to treat these patients. Here, we report three cases suffering refractory hepatic encephalopathy who were treated with this new technique.
Balloon Occlusion ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Hepatic Encephalopathy* ; Humans ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical ; Splenorenal Shunt, Surgical*

PURPOSE: To investigate the changes occurring in portal hemodynamics in patients with esophageal and gastric varices, according to variceal type, before and after TIPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1994 and June 1999, we evaluated 22 of 44 patients who had undergone TIPS and endoscopy on admission. In these 22, hepatic venous and main portal venous pressure were measured. On the basis of endoscpic findings, the esophageal and gastric varices were classified as one of three types. Changes in portal hemodynamics in relation to the diameter of the portal vein, mean portosystemic gradient before and after TIPS, delta MPSG, and the presence of hepatic encephalopathy and gastrorenal shunt were all evaluated. RESULTS: Endoscopy indicated that there were ten Type-I cases, nine Type-II, and three Type-III. The diameter of the main portal vein was 14.95 +/-1.79 mm in Type I cases, and 13.35 +/-1.59 mm in Type II. Before TIPS, main portal venous pressure was 31.40 +/-6.79 mmHg (Type I) and 22.80 +/-4.26 mmHg (Type II), and the mean portosystemic gradient was 16.10 +/-7.0 mmHg (Type I), and 11.20 +/-5.36 mmHg (Type II). After TIPS, the pressure readings were 25.70 +/-7.60 mmHg (Type I) and 17.80 +/-6.52 mmHg (Type II), while those relating to were 10.80 +/-4.94 mmHg (Type I) and 5.25 +/-3.67 mmHg (Type II). delta MPSG was 6.04 +/-2.98 mmHg (Type I) and 5.91 +/-3.98 mmHg (Type II). Angiography revealed that the gastrorenal shunt was Type I in 10% of cases, Type II in 77%, and Type III in 33%. Hepatic encephalopathy after TIPS occured in three Type-I cases, three-Type- II, and two Type-III. CONCLUSION: The diameter of the main portal vein was significantly smaller, and portal venous pressure and mean portosystemic gradient before and after TIPS significantly lower in patients with dominant gastric varices than in those with dominant esophageal varices (p<0.05). Gastrorenal shunt was more frequent among patients with dominant gastric varices. No difference in the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy after TIPS was noted between those with dominant gastric varices and those with the esophageal variety.
Angiography ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Hemodynamics* ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Portacaval Shunt, Surgical ; Portal Pressure ; Portal Vein ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical* ; Reading