Restenosis after Balloon Dilatation with versus without Stent Placement for Hepatic Vein Involvement Budd-Chiari...

Balloon angioplasty with or without stent placement has become the mainstream treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). Restenosis of hepatic vein (HV) is a tough problem. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to compare the restenosis in HV involvement type BCS patients treated by balloon dilatation with versus without stent. Meta-analysis was used to calculate the combined effect size and their 95% confidence intervals (CI), based on random effect; and calculate the risk ratio (RR) and its 95% CI based on fixed effect. The publication bias was assessed by funnel plot and Begg's test. Sixteen studies were selected for meta-analysis. One thousand and eighty-two patients (1,019 from Asian, 63 from non-Asian countries) were included. Seven hundred and five of 1,019 (69%) Asian patients received HV balloon dilatation alone. RR value (RR=0.85, 95% CI 0.68-1.08) of the two groups was obtained through meta-analysis, which meant that the risk of restenosis in balloon dilatation alone group was 15% lower than that in combined with stent placement group; although there was no significant statistical difference between two groups (p=0.178). The current meta-analysis indicated that balloon dilatation alone is first preferred approach in Asian BCS patients compared to the non-Asian patients. Balloon dilatation combined with stent placement does not reduce restenosis risk over balloon dilation alone in the treatment of BCS with HV occlusion. It is suggested that stent should be used cautiously for such patients. Key Words: Balloon dilatation, Budd-Chiari syndrome, Stent, Restenosis, Meta-analysis.