Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt for Acute Variceal Hemorrhage

Acute variceal hemorrhage is life-threatening and requires a multidisciplinary approach for effective therapy. Transfusion of blood products, systemic therapy with vasopressin, octreotide, and selective β-blockers and early endoscopic therapy are often effective; however, uncontrollable variceal hemorrhage is best treated with transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt (TIPS) creation. This procedure involves establishment of a direct pathway between the hepatic veins and the portal veins to decompress the portal venous hypertension that is the source of the patient's hemorrhage. The procedure is technically challenging, especially in critically ill patients, and has a mortality of 30%-50% in the emergency setting, but has greater than 90% effectiveness in controlling bleeding from gastroesophageal varices. In this review, we discuss the technical aspects of TIPS and briefly examine the results of TIPS in managing acute variceal hemorrhage.

Keywords: cirrhosis, portal hypertension, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, variceal hemorrhage