Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts. Preliminary results in 18 patients.

In 18 consecutive patients receiving the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts (TIPSS), 15 were male and 3 female. The patients aged from 34 to 66 years had liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension and esophageal varices. Twelve had recurrent bleedings from raptured gastroesophageal varices. Shunts were established in 16 of the 18 patients and no operative death was noted. Portal vein pressure was reduced from 3.98 +/- 0.24 kPa before shunting to 2.40 +/- 0.16 kPa after shunting. Doppler ultrasound examination revealed that the maximum blood flow velocity in the main portal vein increased from 14.0 +/- 4.5 cm/sec to 48.0 +/- 16.5 cm/sec. The mean follow-up time in the successful cases was 4.5 months (range 2-8 months). The shunt patency was determined with color Doppler ultrasound in 15 patients: occlusion in one and no accites in 4. Varices disappeared in 8 patients and became less evident in 7. No patients had recurrence of varices bleeding or encephalopathy during follow-up. The results suggest that TIPSS is a safe and effective method for portal decompression in the treatment of variceal hemorrhage, and that portal vein puncture is largely dependent on understanding the three-dimensional relationships between hepatic and portal veins. To achieve an adequate portal decompression, we recommend that a stent of 12 mm in diameter be used in severe cases.