Narrowing a TIPS shunt with coils and a small stent for hepatic encephalopathy
Tests a coil and small-stent procedure in adults with hepatic encephalopathy after TIPS.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Coil-Assisted Small-Diameter Covered-Stent Shunt Reduction for Refractory Hepatic Encephalopathy After TIPS
Key facts
- Where
- Xi'an, ChinaSee the site
AI summary: who the study is looking for
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults who had a TIPS shunt placed and keep having serious hepatic encephalopathy (confusion from liver disease) despite standard treatment. They will receive a procedure that narrows the shunt.
- Age
- 18 years or older
- Sex
- All sexes can join
- Disease stage
- Recurrent hepatic encephalopathy of grade II or higher (West-Haven criteria), more than twice within a 4-week period, with an open (patent) TIPS stent
- Earlier treatment
- Must have had a TIPS placed. Must have had no relief from standard treatment: lactulose, rifaximin, nutritional support and correction of triggers. Must be treated with coil-assisted small-diameter stent shunt reduction.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Severe failure of organs outside the liver (heart, lungs or kidneys)
- Too much missing data to assess the case (retrospective cohort)
Read by machine on 13 November 2026.
Where in China
- Air Force Military Medical UniversityXi'an, ChinaContact: Jun Tie, M.D.,Ph.DTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Air Force Military Medical University, China
- Trial code
- NCT07799948
- Record updated
- 2 September 2026
- Original description
Refractory hepatic encephalopathy (RHE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a serious complication that can markedly impair quality of life and worsen prognosis. Standard medical management-including lactulose, rifaximin, nutritional support, and correction of precipitating factors-is routinely used; however, some patients continue to experience recurrent hepatic encephalopathy despite optimized therapy.Read full original descriptionShow less
Coil-Assisted Small-Diameter Covered-Stent Shunt Reduction for Refractory Hepatic Encephalopathy After TIPS: An Ambispective Cohort Study
Refractory hepatic encephalopathy (RHE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a serious complication that can markedly impair quality of life and worsen prognosis. Standard medical management-including lactulose, rifaximin, nutritional support, and correction of precipitating factors-is routinely used; however, some patients continue to experience recurrent hepatic encephalopathy despite optimized therapy.
TIPS shunt reduction is an established interventional option for RHE, but current techniques may provide limited ability to precisely control the degree of flow reduction while maintaining procedural safety. The investigators developed a coil-assisted, small-diameter covered-stent technique that deploys coils as an anchor within the existing TIPS tract, followed by placement of a 6-mm balloon-dilated covered stent to achieve controlled reduction in shunt flow.
This single-center ambispective cohort study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of this technique in patients with RHE after TIPS by including both retrospective and prospective cohorts. Outcomes will include hepatic encephalopathy severity and recurrence, stent patency, portal hypertension-related complications, changes in portal pressure gradient, liver function parameters, transplant-free survival, and procedure-related adverse events.
Inclusion: Prior transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement; Confirmation of patent TIPS stent via imaging and/or hemodynamic evaluation; Recurrent episodes of grade II or higher hepatic encephalopathy (by West-Haven criteria) occurring more than twice within a 4-week period, despite standard medical therapy including lactulose, rifaximin, nutritional support, and correction of precipitating factors; Treatment with coil-assisted small-diameter stent shunt reduction; Signed informed consent provided by the patient or legal representative (for the prospective cohort).
Exclusion: Presence of severe extrahepatic organ failure (e.g., cardiac, pulmonary, or renal failure); Significant missing data that precludes evaluation in the retrospective cohort.