TIPS treatment for complicated Budd Chiari syndrome

Objective To discuss the feasibility of TIPS in the treatment of complicated Budd Chiari syndrome(BCS) and to evaluate its clinical effect. Methods Five patients (male/female=4/1) aged from 30 to 35(mean 33 years). Four of 5 patients with varied degree of esophago gastric varies had the history of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and two had obvious ascites. We punctured the stenotic or occluded hepatic vein into the branch of portal vein in liver parenchyma. Balloon catheter expanding and installing were followed by the gastric coronary vein embolization. Results Successful operation were obtained in all 5 patients. The mean portal vein pressure dropped from(4.7±1.3)kPa before operation to(3.5±1.5)kPa after TIPS. One patient died in 24 hours after an emergency TIPS. One patient died of liver function failure three weeks later. In the mean 64 months′ follow up, 2 of the remaining 3 patients received angiography examination and were demonstrated stenosis at the end of hepatic vein. Both patients were treated with re intervention successfully. Conclusion TIPS was a safe, effective, and feasible method in the treatment of patients with complicated BCS with portal hypertension.