The Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt procedure, also known by the abbreviation TIPS, is a minimally invasive procedure intended to treat severe complications of chronic liver diseases, mainly liver cirrhosis. In these situations, normal blood flow through the liver is blocked, causing a dangerous increase in blood pressure in the portal vein carrying blood to the liver. This increased pressure, known as portal hypertension, can lead to fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity (ascites) or life-threatening bleeding from varices in the esophagus or stomach.
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The goal of the procedure is to reduce this pressure. The procedure is performed in a catheterization room under X-ray guidance, without the need for a large incision in the abdomen. The interventional radiologist inserts a thin tube (catheter) through a vein in the neck and navigates it to the liver veins. Inside the liver, the doctor creates a kind of artificial channel connecting the high-pressure portal vein to a lower-pressure hepatic vein that drains out of the liver. To keep this channel open, a metallic stent is implanted within it. Creating the shunt allows blood to "bypass" the diseased liver tissue, thereby significantly reducing pressure in the portal system. The treatment is mainly suitable for patients suffering from severe symptoms of portal hypertension who do not respond to medication or other endoscopic treatments