What is Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)?

Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt: The present generation is more prone to diseases. There is no doubt that they are suffering from a lot of conditions which the people of the previous decade may not have heard about. Likewise, right now, people majorly suffer from liver-related problems due to their lifestyle changes and eating habits.

Some environmental factors too are also responsible for liver-related problems. One cannot ignore liver disease because this can be problematic and lead to other diseases as well.

As we all know, the medical field is advancing day by day, and regularly there are some new techniques available for treating liver-related conditions as well. The techniques are getting more advanced. Right now, major doctors are considering a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. This is also known as TIPS.

This process helps in creating new connections between two blood vessels in the liver to prevent further liver problems. Let’s go over exactly what is Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt is for a better understanding!

What is a Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt?

First of all, do understand it is not a surgical process. To get it done, you need to approach the interventional radiologist who utilizes the X-ray to diagnose and treat the disease. There is a possibility the doctor may ask you some questions, so be fearless and answer them all.

Basically, it is a process in which the interventional radiologist will use a shunt or tube and place it in between the portal vein responsible for carrying blood from the intestine and intra-abdominal organs to the liver. This may be in consideration for the hepatic vein as well because it is responsible for carrying blood from the liver back to the vena cava and the heart.

During the TIPS Process:

There are so many individuals who have no clue about what will happen during the process and feel fearful. The process is as follows:

1. First of all, the doctor will use a catheter and insert it through the skin into a vein in the neck. Doctors consider the jugular vein for this entire process.
2. After that, they fix a tiny balloon at the end of the catheter and a metal mash stunt.
3. Now, with the help of an X-Ray machine, the doctor guides the catheter into the vein in the liver. To get more visibility of the liver and the nearby problem, the insert contrasts material into the catheter reaching the liver.
4. When doctors are inserting the stunt, they inflate the balloon, and a person may experience a little pain when this happens. The doctor uses the stunt in order to connect the portal vein to the hepatic vein.
5. At the end of the procedure, the doctor measured the portal vein pressure to make sure that it had gone down.
6. After complete observation, he will remove the catheter and put a small bandage over the neck area.

What is the duration of the Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)?

The duration of the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt process lies somewhere from 60 to 120 minutes. Within this particular duration, doctors complete the process. After that, you will be under observation for a while.

Why is there a need to perform this process?

There is a need to perform this process because normally, blood first flows through the liver when coming from the oesophagus, intestines and stomach. But if the liver is experiencing any damage, the process will get disturbed. However, to make it happen again, there is a need to go through this process.

After analyzing your condition, the doctor will suggest you get the medication that can help, or TIPS is the only process left for you.

The causes of portal hypertension:

There are so many causes of portal hypertension with automatic calls for the need to go through this process, and these are as follows:

• Scarring of the liver as a result of alcohol use (cirrhosis)
• The formation of a blood clot in a vein that leads from the liver to the heart.
• An excessive amount of iron in the liver (hemochromatosis)
• Hepatitis B or C can both be fatal.

Symptoms of Portal Hypertension:

There are some symptoms that indicate portal hypertension, and these are as follows:

• Internal hamorrhage that originates in the veins of the stomach, oesophagus, or intestines (variceal bleeding)
• Accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites)
• Accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity (hydrothorax)

Risks

Performing this process comes with the following possible dangers:

• Damage to blood vessels
• Fever
• Encephalopathy is caused by hepatitis (a disorder that affects concentration, mental function, and memory and may lead to coma)
• Infection, cuts and bruises, and bleeding
• Reactions to the medication or the colouring agent
• Neck discomfort, such as stiffness, bruising, or pain

Rare dangers are:

• Experiencing bleeding in the stomach
• Obstruction within the stent
• Contamination of the stent by infection

This was all about the process, and we hope right now you are aware of it. It is important for individuals to understand that to get it, they are approaching the best doctor only because approaching someone who is new in this field can create a lot of problems. If you wish to ignore all the problems, we suggest you visit Jaipur and fix an appointment with Dr. Nikhil Bansal. 

He is one of the best interventional radiologists in Jaipur to approach. You can discuss your problem with him and he will suggest a process and its details. he is one of the best TIPS, TARE and TACE specialist in Jaipur.

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FAQ: Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt

Q. 1 What exactly is the purpose of the TIPS procedure?

Ans: The operation known as Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, or TIPS, includes the insertion of a stent (tube) for the purpose of connecting the portal veins to neighbouring blood arteries that have a lower pressure.

This reduces the pressure that the damaged liver is under when blood flows through it and may assist in stopping bleeding and the accumulation of fluid.

Q. 2 Where exactly is the TIPS located?

Ans: A transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, or TIPS, is a shunt (tube) that is placed between the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestines and intraabdominal organs to the liver, and the hepatic vein, which carries blood from the liver back to the vena cava and the heart. TIPS is an acronym that stands for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt.

Q. 3 Is the TIPS procedure a significant operation?

Ans: A transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, also known as a TIPS, is a treatment that only requires a small incision and is used by medical professionals to treat portal vein hypertension as well as other consequences of advanced liver disease.

In addition to being less intrusive than conventional bypass surgery, the TIPS treatment also provides a lower risk of serious complications.

Q. 4 Which of these complications is seen most frequently in patients who have had TIPS?

Ans: The onset of encephalopathy in patients with TIPS is most likely the complication that is in link with the procedure that occurs most frequently. The frequency that can range anywhere from 5 to 35 percent.