Treatment Of Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension Research Articles

Pathophysiology and therapeutic options for cirrhotic portal hypertension.

Portal hypertension represents the primary non-neoplastic complication of liver cirrhosis and has life-threatening consequences, such as oesophageal variceal bleeding, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy. Portal hypertension occurs due to increased resistance of the cirrhotic liver vasculature to portal blood flow and is further aggravated by the hyperdynamic circulatory syndrome. Existing knowledge indicates that the profibrogenic phenotype acquired by sinusoidal cells is the initial factor leading to increased hepatic vascular tone and fibrosis, which cause increased vascular resistance and portal hypertension. Data also suggest that the phenotype of hepatic cells could be further impaired due to the altered mechanical properties of the cirrhotic liver itself, creating a deleterious cycle that worsens portal hypertension in the advanced stages of liver disease. In this Review, we discuss recent discoveries in the pathophysiology and treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension, a condition with few pharmacological treatment options.

Analyses on clinical efficacy of TIPS in the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension and relevant influencing factors

The study aimed to explore the clinical efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in treating cirrhotic portal hypertension and relevant influencing factors. 100 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension receiving TIPS in the 980 hospitals of PLA logistic force from January 2015 to January 2018 were enrolled. Blood was collected from patients to detect liver function indicators [aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)], renal function indicators [blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr)], glucose metabolism indicators [insulin and glucose (GLU)] and inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8 and CXCL9] before surgery and at1 and 6 month(s) after surgery. Surgical efficacy was evaluated. The physique of patients was examined. The portal venous pressure, diameter and hemorheological indicators of patients were measured. Additionally, postoperative complications and nursing satisfaction were observed. At 1 and 6 month(s) after an operation, the levels of AST, ALT, BUN, Cr, insulin, GLU and inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-8 and CXCL9 and the portal venous pressure were overtly reduced (p<0.05), the postoperative dry weight was increased (p<0.05), the postoperative nursing satisfaction was 97%, the patients with higher satisfaction had fewer complications (p<0.05), the diameter of the portal vein was notably lowered (p<0.05), while the blood flow rate was remarkably raised (p<0.05). After the application of TIPS in the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension, the liver function, renal function, glucose metabolism and portal venous pressure and flow rate of patients return to normal, and postoperative complications are clearly reduced after postoperative nursing, proving the overall efficacy. Hence, TIPS is worthy of popularization and application.

Clinical study of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt with Viatorr stent in 43 cases

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) with the use of Viator stent in the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension. Methods: 43 cases with cirrhotic portal hypertension were implanted with Viatorr stent during TIPS procedure from March 2016 to August 2018. Serological indicators, color Doppler ultrasound, gastroscopy, rebleeding, ascites and hepatic encephalopathy were regularly followed up. Portal venous pressure, liver and kidney function, coagulation indexes were compared by t-test. Stent patency rate, hepatic encephalopathy incidence, rebleeding rate and survival rate were calculated by Kaplan-Meier curve. Results: TIPS procedure success rate was 100% in all patients. Portal pressure gradient was decreased from (25.57 ± 5.50) mmHg to (9.76 ± 2.92) mmHg before and after operation. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was significantly higher at 1 month after operation than before operation, but there was no significant difference between 3 and 6 months after and before operation. Total bilirubin, serum ammonia and prothrombin time at 1, 3, and 6 months after operation were higher than before operation. Albumin had no significant change compared with before operation, and creatinine and urea nitrogen were lower than before operation. The cumulative rebleeding rates at 12 and 24 months after operation was 0% and 9%, respectively. Of the 26 patients with ascites, 22 cases (84.6%) had complete disappearance of ascites and 3 (11.5%) had significant decrease of ascites. The cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery was 11.6%, 17.3%, 21.9% and 21.9%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of stent dysfunction at 12 and 24 months after surgery was 5.6% and 23.7%, respectively. The cumulative survival rate at 12 months and 24 months after surgery was 91.9%. Conclusion: TIPS procedure with Viatorr stent can effectively reduce portal pressure and rebleeding rate, improve intrahepatic shunt patency rate, and will not increase the risk of postoperative hepatic encephalopathy, and has a higher cumulative survival rate.

Prognostic Value of the CLIF-C AD Score in Patients With Implantation of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt.

Prognostic assessment of patients with liver cirrhosis allocated for implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a challenging task in clinical practice. The aim of our study was to assess the prognostic value of the CLIF‐C AD (Acute Decompensation) score in patients with TIPS implantation. Transplant‐free survival (TFS) and 3‐month mortality were reviewed in 880 patients who received de novo TIPS implantation for the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension. The prognostic value of the CLIF‐C AD score was compared with the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, Child‐Pugh score, and albumin‐bilirubin (ALBI) score using Harrell’s C concordance index. The median TFS after TIPS implantation was 40.0 (34.6‐45.4) months. The CLIF‐C AD score (c = 0.635 [0.609‐0.661]) was superior in the prediction of TFS in comparison to MELD score (c = 0.597 [0.570‐0.623], P = 0.006), Child‐Pugh score (c = 0.579 [0.552‐0.606], P < 0.001), and ALBI score (c = 0.573 [0.545‐0.600], P < 0.001). However, the CLIF‐C AD score did not perform significantly better than the MELD‐Na score (c = 0.626 [0.599‐0.653], P = 0.442). There were no profound differences in the scores’ ranking with respect to indication for TIPS implantation, stent type, or underlying liver disease. Subgroup analyses revealed that a CLIF‐C AD score >45 was a predictor of 3‐month mortality in the supposed low‐risk group of patients with a MELD score ≤12 (14.7% vs. 5.1%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The CLIF‐C AD score is suitable for prognostic assessment of patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension receiving TIPS implantation. In the prediction of TFS, the CLIF‐C AD score is superior to MELD score, Child‐Pugh score, and ALBI score but not the MELD‐Na score.

Expert consensus on multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension (based on hepatic venous pressure gradient)

Expert consensus on multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension (based on hepatic venous pressure gradient)

Clinical efficacy of laparoscopic splenectomy combined with pericardial devascularization in the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension: a report of 425 cases

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic splenectomy combined with pericardial devascularization in the treatment of cirrhotic patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension. Methods The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 425 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension who were admitted to Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University were collected. There were 289 males and 136 females, aged (53±11)years, with a range from 21 to 79 years. All the patients were allocated into 3 periods according to the operation time, including 100 patients of early period from February 2012 to March 2014, 156 patients of mature technology period from April 2014 to August 2016, and 169 patients of technology innovation period from september 2016 to December 2018. The patients of early period and mature technology period underwent laparoscopic splenectomy combined with pericardial devascularization, and the patients of technology innovation period underwent vagus nerve-preserving laparoscopic splenectomy combined with pericardial devascularization. Observation indicators: (1) surgical situations; (2) postoperative situations; (3) follow-up. Patients were followed up by outpatient examination to detect the upper digestive rebleeding, gastric retention, and diarrhea up to March 2019. Sequential therapy of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) was slectively performed on patients based on results of gastroscopy. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using ANOVA, and paired comparison was analyzed using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range), and comparison between groups was anlyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test, and paired comparison was analyzed using the rank sum test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher exact probability. Results (1) Surgical situations: the operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, cases with intraoperative blood transfusion, cases with conversion to open surgery, and cases with emergency operation for bleeding were (187±46)minutes, 150 mL (range, 50-1 300 mL), 2, 2 , 1 for patients of early period, (164±22)minutes, 50 mL (range, 30-100 mL), 1, 1, 1 for patients of mature technology period, and (150±18)minutes, 50 mL (range, 10-300 mL), 0 , 0 , 0 for patients of technology innovation period, respectively. There were significant differences in the operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss between the three groups (F=55.482, χ2=94.620, P 0.05). (2) Postoperative situations: 425 patients had oral aspirin enteric-coated tablets for prevention of thrombus, with no perioperative death. Duration of postoperative hospital stay, cases with portal vein thrombosis at postoperative 7 days, cases with pancreatic fistula, cases with pulmonary infection, and cases with abdominal infection were (11.0±2.9)days, 46, 2, 1, 0 for patients of early period, (9.9±1.7)days, 81, 3, 0, 0 for patients of mature technology period, and (8.8±1.3)days, 83, 2, 1, 1 for patients of technology innovation period, respectively. There was a significant difference in the duration of postoperative hospital stay between the three groups (F=39.836, P 0.05) and no significant difference in the cases with pancreatic fistula, cases with pulmonary infection, or cases with abdominal infection between the three groups (P>0.05). Patients with portal vein thrombosis at postoperative 7 days had oral aspirin enteric-coated tablets or warfarin for treatment. Patients with pancreatic fistula, pulmonary infection, and abdominal infection were cured and discharged after conservative treatment. (3) Follow-up: all the 425 patients were followed up for 1-72 months, with a median follow-up of 36 months. Of the 425 patients, 261 underwent postoperative sequential therapy of EVL, including 133 patients of mature technology period and 128 patients of technology innovation period. The incidence rate of upper digestive rebleeding was 3.83%(10/261) of the 261 patients undergoing postoperative sequential therapy of EVL and 17.68%(29/164) of 164 patients without postoperative sequential therapy of EVL, showing a significant difference between them (χ2=23.185, P<0.05). The incidence rates of gastric retention and diarrhea were 96.24%(128/133) and 61.65%(82/133) for 133 patients undergoing sequential therapy of EVL in mature technology period, and 1.56%(2/128) and 3.91%(5/128) for 128 patients undergoing sequential therapy of EVL in technology innovation period, showing significant differences between them (χ2=233.876, 97.883, P<0.05). Conclusions It is safe and feasible of laparoscopic splenectomy combined with pericardial devascularization for patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension, and intraoperative vagus nerve-preserving can reduce volume of intraoperative blood loss and incidence of postoperative complications. Key words: Liver cirrhosis; Portal hypertension; Splenectomy; Pericardial devascularization; Vagus nerve; Laparoscopy

Efficacy Analysis of Gastric Coronary Venous TH Glue Embolization with Splenectomy for Treating Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension

To evaluate the effects of gastric coronary venous embolization with TH glue (developer-containing octyl-α-cyanoacrylate) in combination with splenectomy for the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension and gastroesophageal varices.

Follow-up study of 116 cases of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension

Objective: To investigate the incidence rate of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) complications in the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension, and analyze the cause of complication to management methods. Methods: Data of 116 patients obtained from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University were retrospectively analyzed. Portal venous pressure, routine blood test, coagulation test, liver and kidney function test, ammonia blood test, imaging and endoscopy reports were collected before and after procedure. The incidence rate of hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, ascites and shunt dysfunctions were observed. Data were expressed as mean ± Standard deviation and analyzed by t-test. A chi-squared test was used for comparison between categorical variables. Results: The success rate of TIPS operation was 97.41% (113/116). Two patients underwent prompt TIPS procedure due to active bleeding. Bleeding was successfully stopped. Portal venous pressure of 113 patients decreased from (42.73 ± 7.64) cmH(2)O to (24.92 ± 7.60) cmH(2)O, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Twenty cases were of hepatic encephalopathy. Preoperative level of Child-pugh class C patients was more susceptible to hepatic encephalopathy within 3 months after procedure than class A and B. After TIPS procedure, there were 22 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding, 18 cases of shunt dysfunctions and 26 cases of disease related death. Conclusion: Rational patient selection strategies can effectively reduce portal venous pressure, incidence of hepatic encephalopathy, improve mid-and long-term therapeutic effects, and provide opportunities for liver transplantation.

Cirrhotic portal hypertension in the non-invasive era: what we grasp

The non-invasive era of portal hypertension in cirrhosis is approaching. We should seize the opportunity: then do learn to follow the recommended international guidelines for emerging non-invasive technologies and systematically utilize case resources of our country's for clinical verification; Secondly, we should pay attention to the cross-theory innovation of the middle level discipline in the process of technology development, and standardize the design and clinical registration in accordance with international diagnostic testing standards; Finally, a non-invasive technique for the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension was developed with a developmental perspective, enabling the transition from disease diagnosis and risk stratification to efficacy monitoring and prognosis prediction.

Prevention and treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension: New cellular and molecular targets

Prevention and treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension: New cellular and molecular targets

Surgical treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension and its accompanied abdominal diseases

Surgical treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension and its accompanied abdominal diseases is one of the medical problems currently.Accurate evaluation of the hepatic function reserve,degree of portal hypertension and accompanied abdominal disease is important to decrease the postoperative morbidity and mortality as well as to raise the efficacy.The surgical procedure selection should be based on the analysis of portal vein hemodynamics of patients.There are clear indications for portosystemic shunt,devascularization and combinative surgery with shunt and devascularization.Treatment for portal hypertension should be carried out when treating the accompanied abdominal diseases.The principle of operation,operation time,operation mode,operation sequence,staging indications and the key techniques of operation were discussed in the article.Only these principles be mastered,proper selection of surgical procedures and desired treatment effect with minimal trauma can be achieved. Key words: Portal hypertension; Abdominal diseases; Surgical procedures, operative

Comparison of modified laparoscopic and open splenectomy and pericardial devascularization for the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension

Objective To investigate the safety and short-term efficacy of modified laparoscopic and open splenectomy and pericardial devascularization for the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension.Methods The clinical data of 107 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension who were admitted to the Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University from January 2010 to February 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.Patients were divided into the modified laparoscopic group (37 patients) and the open group (70 patients).The intra-and postoperative condition of the patients of the 2 groups were compared.The measurement data were analyzed using the t test or Mann-Whitney U test,and the enumeration data were analyzed using the chi-square test.Results The median operation time of the modified laparoscopic group was 210 minutes (range,185-245 minutes),which was longer than 175 minutes of the open group (range,150-190 minutes),with significant difference between the 2 groups (Z =-4.624,P ＜ 0.05).The median volume of intra-operative blood loss,pain rating index of the first day after operation,first appetite time after operation,initial passage of flatus time,postoperative off-bed activity time and duration of postoperative hospital stay were 150 ml (range,100-200 ml),2.5 ± 0.9,(1.5 ± 0.7) days,(2.4 ± 1.0) days,(2.7 ± 0.7) days,(10.5 ± 2.2) days in the modified laparoscopic group,and 300 ml (range,188-400 ml),5.1 ± 1.1,(2.8 ± 0.6) days,(3.2 ± 1.0) days,(5.9 ± 0.9) days and (15.7 ± 4.3) days in the open group,with significant difference between the 2 groups (Z =-3.570,t =-12.546,-9.834,-3.635,-18.780,-8.350,P ＜ 0.05).The number of patients who had postoperative complications in the modified laparoscopic group was 5,which was significantly smaller than 25 in the open group (x2 =5.913,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The procedure of modified laparoscopic splenectomy and pericardial devascularization for cirrhotic portal hypertension is safe,feasible and with good therapeutic effect.It has better short-term clinical effect than open surgery. Key words: Portal hypertension; Laparoscopy; Splenectomy; Pericardial devascularization