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Coil-Assisted Small-Diameter Covered-Stent Shunt Reduction for Refractory Hepatic Encephalopathy After TIPS

Sponsor: Air Force Military Medical University, China • ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07799948

Registry updated: 2026-09-02

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Description

Refractory hepatic encephalopathy (RHE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a serious complication that can markedly impair quality of life and worsen prognosis. Standard medical management-including lactulose, rifaximin, nutritional support, and correction of precipitating factors-is routinely used; however, some patients continue to experience recurrent hepatic encephalopathy despite optimized therapy. TIPS shunt reduction is an established interventional option for RHE, but current techniques may provide limited ability to precisely control the degree of flow reduction while maintaining procedural safety. The investigators developed a coil-assisted, small-diameter covered-stent technique that deploys coils as an anchor within the existing TIPS tract, followed by placement of a 6-mm balloon-dilated covered stent to achieve controlled reduction in shunt flow. This single-center ambispective cohort study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of this technique in patients with RHE after TIPS by including both retrospective and prospective cohorts. Outcomes will include hepatic encephalopathy severity and recurrence, stent patency, portal hypertension-related complications, changes in portal pressure gradient, liver function parameters, transplant-free survival, and procedure-related adverse events.

Interventions

Coil-assisted Small-diameter Stent Shunt reduction (Procedure)
Coil-assisted Small-diameter Stent Shunt reduction: 1. Puncture of the right internal jugular vein, followed by catheter introduction into the existing TIPS stent. 2. Performance of portal venography and measurement of baseline portal pressure gradient. 3. Deployment of a 10-mm coil within the existing TIPS stent as an anchoring point. 4. Delivery and deployment of a 6-mm covered stent within the existing TIPS stent to create a narrowed flow channel. 5. Balloon dilation at both ends of the stent to ensure adequate apposition with the original TIPS stent. 6. Post-procedural portal venography to assess stent patency, portal pressure gradient, and hepatic perfusion.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria 1. Prior transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement; 2. Confirmation of patent TIPS stent via imaging and/or hemodynamic evaluation; 3. Recurrent episodes of grade II or higher hepatic encephalopathy (by West-Haven criteria) occurring more than twice within a 4-week period, despite standard medical therapy including lactulose, rifaximin, nutritional support, and correction of precipitating factors; 4. Treatment with coil-assisted small-diameter stent shunt reduction; 5. Signed informed consent provided by the patient or legal representative (for the prospective cohort). Exclusion Criteria 1. Presence of severe extrahepatic organ failure (e.g., cardiac, pulmonary, or renal failure); 2. Significant missing data that precludes evaluation in the retrospective cohort.

Conditions

Hepatic Encephalopathy Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) Portal Hypertension Liver Cirrhosis

Locations

Air Force Military Medical University — Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

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Official Source

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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