Abstract:
Objective To compare the preventive effect of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) using Viatorr stent with endoscopic therapy plus non-selective β-blockers (NSBBs) for gastroesophageal variceal bleeding (GEVB) in cirrhotic patients with high-risk factors of endoscopic treatment failure.
Methods Between November 2015 and December 2018, 240 consecutive cirrhotic patients with a history of GEVB and high factors which included the hepatic vein pressure gradient (HVPG) ≥ 20 mmHg, portal vein thrombosis (PVT), gastro-renal shunt (GRS), or extraluminal para-gastric veins (ep-GVs), were diagnosed and treated. Totally, 98 patients underwent TIPS with Viatorr-covered stent (group A) and 142 patients received endoscopic therapy combined with NSBBs (group B). According to the above high-risk factors, both groups were stratified into 4 paired subgroups (A1-A4, B1-B4). Variceal rebleeding rate, overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) rate, and overall survival were compared between the two groups and paired subgroups by Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank detection.
Results The 2-year cumulative survival rate of patients without variceal rebleeding was higher in group A than that in group B (94% vs 70%, P < 0.001). The 2-year cumulative survival rate of patients without variceal rebleeding was 89%, 92%, 96%, and 92%, respectively in the A1-A4 subgroups, and 68%, 76%, 67%, and 67%, respectively in the B1-B4 subgroups, and there were differences between the corresponding subgroups (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups and corresponding subgroups in HE and survival rates.
Conclusions Compared to secondary prophylaxis with endoscopic therapy plus NSBBs, TIPS with Viatorr-covered stent could significantly reduce the variceal rebleeding rate in cirrhotic patients with HVPG ≥ 20 mmHg, PVT, GRS, or ep-GVs, without increasing the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy.