The effect of initial shunt outflow position on patency of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts

PURPOSE: It has been suggested that initial stent position in transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) with relation to hepatic venous outflow is an important determinant of shunt patency. It was hypothesized that TIPS with the stent-implanted segments terminating in the hepatic vein (HV) have shorter primary unassisted shunt patency durations than TIPS with the stent-implanted segments extending to the hepatocaval junction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consecutive group of 107 patients who underwent TIPS creation for variceal bleeding were retrospectively identified, and the angiographic images during initial TIPS creation were reviewed independently by two observers who were blinded to outcome. Primary unassisted patency was estimated in group A (TIPS terminating in the HV; n = 47) and group B (TIPS terminating at the hepatocaval junction; n = 60) with the Kaplan-Meier method, and the two groups were compared with the log-rank test. Patients who had less than 30 days of follow-up were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: Among all 107 patients, primary unassisted patency rates at 3, 6, and 12 months were 91% 4%, 74% 6%, and 49% +/- 6%. TIPS were classified into group A or group B with high interobserver agreement (Cohen kappa = 0.98). At 12 months, the primary unassisted patency rate among the patients in group A was 36% +/- 10%, compared with 58% +/- 8% among the patients in group B (P = .017, log-rank test). Patients in group A were twice as likely to lose patency than patients in group B (95% CI of odds ratio, 1.2-4.5). Thirty-day mortality was similar between groups (15% vs 12%; P = .13). CONCLUSION: Initial stent position within the hepatic venous outflow is predictive of shunt patency, with TIPS extending to the hepatocaval junction having a longer lifespan than shunts terminating in the HV.