Effect of intraoperative Viatorr stent implantation for shunting of blood flow in the left or right branch of the portal vein and its effect on clinical outcome in patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt

Objective To investigate the effect of intraoperative Viatorr stent implantation for shunting of blood flow in the left or right branch of the portal vein on the clinical outcome of patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt( TIPS). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 120 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension who underwent TIPS in The General Hospital of Western Theater Command from March 2016 to December 2019,and according to the target position of portal vein puncture determined by intraoperative angiography,the patients were divided into left branch group and right branch group.The two groups were compared in terms of the incidence rates of postoperative recurrence and bleeding,stent dysfunction,and hepatic encephalopathy( HE) and survival. The t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups,and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to calculate rebleeding rate,stent patency rate,incidence rate of HE,and survival rate. Results The surgical success rate was 100% for all 120 patients,with a short-term hemostasis rate of100%. Among the 120 patients,52 underwent shunting of the left branch of the portal vein and 68 underwent shunting of the right branch.There was a significant reduction in portal venous pressure after surgery( 9. 98 ± 2. 84 mm Hg vs 24. 72 ± 5. 11 mm Hg,t = 37. 76,P < 0. 01).The cumulative rebleeding rates at 12 and 24 months after surgery were 3. 2% and 11. 0%,respectively,and the cumulative incidence rates of HE at 3,6,12,and 24 months after surgery were 10. 8%,13. 6%,21. 2%,and 24. 5%,respectively. Among the 29 patients who experienced HE,23 had gradeⅠ-ⅡHE and 6 had grade Ⅲ HE. The cumulative incidence rates of stent dysfunction at 12 and 24 months after surgery were 7. 1% and 21. 4%,respectively. The cumulative survival rates at 12 and 24 months after surgery were 92. 0% and 86. 5%,respectively.As for comparison of the left branch group and the right branch group,there were no significant differences in postoperative stent patency rate,rebleeding rate,incidence rate of HE,and survival rate( all P < 0. 05). Conclusion TIPS is a safe and effective method for the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension,and intraoperative Viatorr stent implantation,no matter for establishing the shunt of the left or right branch of the portal vein,will not affect the clinical outcome of patients.