Preemptive TIPS for Variceal Bleeding in Cirrhotic Patients With Occlusive Portal Vein Thrombosis

November 3, 2023 updated by: luo xuefeng, West China Hospital

Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) for Variceal Bleeding in Cirrhotic Patients With Occlusive Portal Vein Thrombosis (PVT): A Multicenter Randomized Trial

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) can lead to a further increase in portal venous pressure and increase the risk of rebleeding. Whether patients with acute esophagogastric variceal bleeding with occlusive PVT benefit from preemptive TIPS is still controversial. The present study is directed at comparing the outcome of patients with acute variceal bleeding with occlusive PVT treated by standard therapy (vasoactive drugs + endoscopic variceal ligation) with or without preemptive TIPS (performed during the first 1-3 days after endoscopic procedure). The primary outcome is survival free of variceal rebleeding at 6 weeks from inclusion.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication in patients with cirrhosis, and the cumulative incidence of PVT is 4.6%, 8.2%, and 10.7% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. PVT can lead to a further increase in portal venous pressure and increase the risk of rebleeding. According to Baveno VII, PVT can be classified according to the degree of occlusion of the portal trunk as complete occlusion (no continuous luminal structure), partial occlusion (≥50% thrombus obstruction of the lumen), mild occlusion (<50% thrombus obstruction of the lumen), or spongiotic degeneration (a large number of collateral vessels of the portal vein, with no visualization of the main portal vein). The results of a recent observational study suggested that patients with severe PVT with ≥50% thrombotic luminal obstruction had higher 6-week rebleeding rates (8.8% vs. 3.8%) and 1-year rebleeding rates (29.4% vs. 21.4%) after acute variceal bleeding. Our previous clinical study showed that patients with cirrhotic PVT treated with TIPS had lower rebleeding rates and significantly higher rates of portal vein recanalization, and it was inferred that patients with acute esophagogastric variceal bleeding with severe PVT might benefit from preemptive TIPS. Therefore, we propose to conduct a multicentre randomized controlled trial to enroll patients with acute esophagogastric variceal bleeding with occlusive PVT to compare the preemptive TIPS with the standardized therapy. The outcomes are rates of mortality, rebleeding, and complications.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

    • Sichuan
      • Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610000
        • West China Hospital of Sichuan University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Cirrhosis (diagnosed by imaging, laboratory tests, clinical symptoms, or liver biopsy);
  • Admission due to acute bleeding from esophagogastric varices;
  • Thrombus in the main trunk of the portal vein occupying ≥50% of the lumen.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior treatment with TIPS or surgical shunt;
  • Presence of contraindications to endoscopic treatment, carvedilol, or TIPS;
  • Presence of hepatocellular carcinoma exceeding Milan criteria;
  • Presence of other systemic malignant tumors with expected survival time not exceeding 6 months;
  • Presence of uncontrollable infection or sepsis;
  • Presence of cardiac, pulmonary, or renal failure;
  • Pregnant or lactating women;
  • Refusal to sign the informed consent form.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Preemptive TIPS

Standard treatment to achieve initial hemostasis: vasoactive drugs (somatostatin or terlipressin) + endoscopic hemostasis according to the center protocol.

Performance of TIPS in the first 72 hours following initial endoscopic hemostasis.

The TIPS procedure should be performed within 72 hours after the initial endoscopic examination or treatment. An 8 mm Viatorr stent will be used for TIPS establishment. The aim will be to reduce the portal pressure gradient below 12 mm Hg. Embolization, either with coils or glue, can be performed, if it is felt necessary, especially in patients where portography shows the filling of large portosystemic collaterals feeding the varices. After TIPS, anticoagulation will not be used as a rule but is allowed if the attending physician thinks that it is warranted.
Other Names:
  • early TIPS
Active Comparator: Standard Therapy

Standard treatment to achieve initial hemostasis: vasoactive drugs (somatostatin or terlipressin) + endoscopic hemostasis according to the center protocol.

Standard combined endoscopic and pharmacological therapy as secondary prophylaxis (carvedilol + repeated endoscopic variceal ligation until the eradication of the esophageal varices).

Patients will receive vasoactive drugs up to 5 days; then a non-selective beta-blocker (carvedilol) will be started with an initial dose of 6.25 mg, the dose of propranolol will be increased to 12.5 mg.

The second elective session of endoscopic band ligation will be performed within the first 28 days after the initial endoscopic treatment. The following sessions will be performed at 28 +/- 3 days intervals until variceal eradication. Once eradication is achieved, endoscopic monitoring will be performed every 6 months. If varices reappear, new band ligation will be performed.

Other Names:
  • endoscopy plus drug treatment

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
6-week mortality
Time Frame: 6 weeks
The rate of mortality during the first 6 weeks after inclusion in the study.
6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
5-day treatment failure
Time Frame: 5 days
Incidence of cases requiring adjustment of treatment strategy within 5 days of initial standardised treatment: vomiting of blood or drainage of ≥100 ml of fresh blood from a gastric tube after 2 hours of treatment, hypovolemic shock, drop in haemoglobin of 30 g/L or more within 24 hours without transfusion.
5 days
1-year mortality
Time Frame: 1 year
The rate of mortality during the first 1 year after inclusion in the study.
1 year
decompensation events
Time Frame: 1 year
Rates with rebleeding, new overt ascites (moderate-heavy) or increased degree of ascites, overt hepatic encephalopathy (West-Heaven grades 2-4), or jaundice (total bilirubin >51 mmol/L) from 5 days after initial standardised treatment up to 1 year.
1 year
adverse events
Time Frame: 1 year
Events of various complications such as infections, new tumours, organ failure, peptic ulcers, etc., occurring after randomisation up to the follow-up period.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Xuefeng Luo, Ph.D., West China Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

January 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 3, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 3, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

November 8, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 8, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 3, 2023

Last Verified

November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • pTIPS-PVT

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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