Small diameter shunts should lead to safe expansion of the use of TIPS.

ABSTRACT

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is increasingly used worldwide to treat the complications of portal hypertension in patients with advanced cirrhosis. However, its use is hampered by the risk of causing hepatic encephalopathy and of worsening liver function. The reported haemodynamic targets used to guide TIPS are too narrow to be achieved in most cases and are perhaps not entirely adequate nowadays as they were obtained in the pre-covered stent era. We propose that small diameter TIPS - alone or combined to pharmacological therapy or ancillary interventional radiology procedures - may overcome these limitations while maintaining the beneficial effects of the procedure.