[Portal hypertension and percutaneous transjugular portasystemic stent shunt]

This paper reports 1) the historic development of TIPSS, the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt from experimental evaluation to clinical realization. 2) The evolution of the instrumental technique during a period of 6 years of clinical applications is described in detail. 3) Results based on 204 consecutive procedures are demonstrated: e.g. the early technical success defined as successful completion of the procedure and 30-day survival was 95%; the clinical success defined as technically successful procedure and no rebleeding during the first 30 days was 83%, the 30-day mortality rate was 6.3%; the 30-day encephalopathy rate was 14.1%; the one-year re-bleeding rate was 11%; the one-year survival rate was 74%, the 3-year survival rate was 41%. 4) Problems of the TIPSS procedure are discussed including a 3-months re-stenosis rate of 46% and a cumulative one-year re-stenosis rate of 84% which requires correction by interventional procedures such as shunt dilatation or additional vascular stent placement. 5) Limitations and indications of TIPSS are elucidated based on hemodynamic and functional aspects of liver cirrhosis.