The use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt (TIPS) in the management of portal hypertensive bleeding

Acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage is a terrible complication of portal hypertension and. rebleeding is very common in survivors of acute variceal bleeding. Traditional medical management options include the use of vasoconstrictor, balloon tamponade, and endoscopic therapy. Though endoscopic therapy has achieved successful hemostasis in the majority of acute variceal bleeding episodes, the outcome is usually dismal when such therapy fails. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt (TIPS) was invented to decompress portal hypertension, but is now widely used in Western countries to treat patients with refractory variceal hemorrhage or refractory ascites. By contrast, TIPS has not been commonly used in Asia. In this article, I have reviewed the role of TIPS in the management of portal hypertensive bleeding, which will hopefully be useful for clinicians facing variceal bleeding that is not amenable to endoscopic therapies.