10 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
During a TIPS procedure, a shunt or stent (mesh tube) is passed down the jugular vein (the vein above the collarbone in the neck) using fluoroscopy (real time x-rays) guidance. Then, a stent is inserted between the portal vein (vein that carries blood from the intestines into the liver) to a hepatic vein (vein that carries blood away from the liver back to the heart). This means that blood that would usually gets filtered through the liver is now bypassing the liver and going directly to the heart. Because more blood will be flowing to the heart, the heart needs to be strong enough to handle the extra volume. This study is being done to determine the impact of the TIPS procedure on cardiac (heart) function by collecting data (heart pressures) during the TIPS procedure. Immediately after TIPS and at standard follow-up time points, labs and transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE or echo) will also be collected. The device(s) used in this study are neither the intervention studied nor the experimental variable of interest. Devices are commercially available and used, and procedures are performed, in accordance with the institution's standard of care.
A novel radiofrequency (RF) wire created by Baylis Medical (Montreal, CAN) is an FDA cleared device commonly used for percutaneous recanalization procedures. This wire has an active tip that delivers focused RF energy and has been applied for many procedures such as percutaneous transseptal left heart access, recanalization of central vein occlusion, recanalization of arterial occlusion, and recanalization of bile duct occlusion. There has been no study investigating the use of the RF wire for TIPS creation in clinical practice with humans. Having promising results of an experimental feasibility investigation in swine, the investigators are seeking to assess the feasibility and safety of the RF wire to cut through tissue in the liver while creating TIPS in the clinical setting.
The primary purpose of this project is to determine if acute monitoring of shunt patency via ultrasound elastography measurements of splenic stiffness before and after TIPS placement results in reduced morbidity and mortality from shunt failure.
The goal of this study is to evaluate an alternate approach, which involves using a 3D puncture path overlay, to access the portal vein during a Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) procedure. The study should determine if the alternate approach provides these benefits: improved safety of procedure, and reduced intervention time (including reduction of radiation exposure), which benefits both interventional radiologist and the patient. During a TIPS procedure, a shunt or stent (mesh tube) is passed down the jugular vein (the vein above the collarbone in the neck) using fluoroscopy (x-ray) guidance. The shunt then is inserted between the portal vein (vein that carries blood from the digestive organs into the liver) to a hepatic vein (vein that carries blood away from the liver back to the heart). In the standard approach, the interventional radiologist uses two-dimensional guidance (2D - having the dimensions of height and width only) to locate the path between the portal vein and hepatic vein. However, since these two veins do not connect, this method does not provide information on the three-dimensional (3D) relationship between the two veins. In the alternate approach, the physician will have the option of using 3D guidance to locate the path. An on-table limited (small field of view) CT scan, used in combination with FDA approved imaging software, will provide a 3D image demonstrating the relationship between the portal vein and the hepatic vein. The 3D image is overlaid on the standard live x-ray images to assist in needle guidance during the TIPS procedure. The CT scan performed will be in place of the angiograms that are typically performed. However, if the portal vein is not adequately seen in the CT images, the angiograms will be done and there will be no overlay. The procedure will proceed using the standard approach.
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is the first-line therapy for patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites. However, mental changes known as hepatic encephalopathy (HE) frequently occur after TIPS. There is no effective method to predict HE after TIPS. Oral glutamine challenge (OGC) and psychometric tests have been used to assess the risk for HE, but never in patients undergoing TIPS. Severe muscle loss may also predispose patients to HE. The aim of the present study is to assess if both the OGC and psychometric tests can accurately predict the development of overt HE after TIPS. Patients will be studied before TIPS and followed after TIPS for the development of HE. The role of muscle loss in favoring HE, as well as is possible reversibility after TIPS will also be investigated.
ALTA is a multicenter consortium focused on the management of portal hypertension. ALTA TIPS is a longitudinal observational study of patients who are undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement. ALTA will create a database that will provide clinical parameters and outcomes of patients undergoing TIPS as part of their standard of care in hopes of answering key clinical questions.
Variceal hemorrhage (VH) from gastric varices (GVs) results in significant morbidity and mortality among patients with liver cirrhosis. In cases of acute bleeding, refractory bleeding, or high risk GVs, the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation and transvenous variceal obliteration procedures have used to treat GVs. While these techniques are effective, each is associated with limitations, including non-trivial rebleeding and hepatic encephalopathy rates for TIPS and aggravation of esophageal varices, development of new or worsening ascites, and formation of difficult to treat ectopic varices for transvenous obliteration. Increasingly, however, TIPS and transvenous obliteration are viewed as complimentary procedures that can be combined to reduce bleeding risk and ameliorate sequelae of portal hypertension. Yet, despite a strong mechanistic basis for their combination, there are few studies investigating the combined effectiveness of TIPS plus transvenous obliteration. Thus, the aim of this single center prospective pilot study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of combined TIPS creation plus transvenous obliteration for the treatment of GVs, with the overall goal of improving the clinical outcomes of patients with VH related to GVs. The work proposed could lead to important advances in the treatment of bleeding complications due to liver cirrhosis.
Creation of the parenchymal tract between the portal vein and the hepatic vein is the most difficult and time consuming step in a TIPS procedure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate portal vein access sets during the TIPS procedure.
Creation of the parenchymal tract between the portal vein and the hepatic vein is the most difficult and time consuming step in a TIPS procedure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate portal vein access sets during the TIPS procedure.
The Decompression Intervention of Variceal Rebleeding Trial (DIVERT) is a multi-center prospective randomized clinical trial comparing the radiologic procedure of transjugular intrahepatic portal-systemic shunt (TIPS) with the surgical procedure of distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) for variceal bleeding in patients with Child's Class A and B cirrhosis. This is recognized nationally and internationally as the study that will answer the question as to which of these is the best treatment for decompression of varices in patients who have failed endoscopic and pharmacologic therapy.