What is a TIPS operation and why is it performed - explained at the Shalimov Center
Kyiv • UNN
Portal hypertension can lead to serious complications, including renal and respiratory failure. TIPS surgery is the only radical treatment method that reduces pressure in the portal system.
Portal hypertension can lead to serious complications in liver function, which in turn causes renal and respiratory failure. The only effective way to solve this problem is the so-called TIPS operation, reported the O.O. Shalimov National Scientific Center of Surgery and Transplantology, writes UNN.
Details
The hepatic portal system is a system of veins that includes the hepatic portal vein and its tributaries. Blood from the abdominal organs (stomach, intestines, spleen, and pancreas) enters and is "filtered" in the liver through the portal vein system.
The Center also reported that the presence of liver cirrhosis or a block in blood outflow from the portal vein leads to blood stagnation with increased pressure in it. As a result, portal hypertension develops, portal collaterals appear, and blood circulation in the liver is disrupted.
"Portal hypertension can lead to serious complications, such as internal bleeding from enlarged veins in the esophagus, spleen, or stomach, as well as ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity) with the development of renal and respiratory failure – which are the main causes of patient mortality," the Center noted.
The Shalimov Center explained that the only radical way to treat portal hypertension syndrome and related complications in patients is to perform transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stenting, the so-called TIPS operation – a minimally invasive intervention that is one of the most technological and complex interventions in abdominal interventional radiology.
"After TIPS, the pressure in the portal system decreases to normal, esophageal veins shrink to their natural size, and portal hypertension and its consequences are eliminated," the Shalimov Center noted.
It is also reported that the Shalimov Center is one of the few medical institutions where TIPS is performed professionally.
Addition
The O.O. Shalimov National Scientific Center of Surgery and Transplantology explained the importance of lifelong use of immunosuppressive drugs after transplantation. These drugs suppress immune reactions that occur in response to a foreign organ, ensuring the engraftment and functioning of the transplanted organ.