Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for pyrrolidine alkaloids-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the treatment of patients with pyrrolidine alkaloids-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (PA-HSOS). Methods Patients diagnosed with PA-HSOS and treated in Ningbo No.2 Hospital between November 2017 and October 2022 were enlisted in this retrospective cohort study. Results This cohort comprised a total of 22 patients with PA-HSOS, of which 12 patients received TIPS treatment and 10 patients experienced conservative treatment. The median follow-up duration was 10.5 months. Baseline characteristics existed with no significant difference between the two groups. No operation failures or any TIPS-associated intraoperative complications were observed after TIPS. In the TIPS group, the portal venous pressure was substantially decreased from 25.3 ± 6.3 mmHg to 14.4 ± 3.5 mmHg after TIPS (P = 0.002). Compared with preoperative, the ascites after TIPS were significantly subsided (P = 0.001) and there existed a considerable decrease in Child-Pugh score. At the end of follow-up, 5 patients died, involving 1 in the TIPS group and 4 in the conservative treatment group. The median survival time was 13 (3–28) months in the TIPS group and 6.5 (1–49) months in the conservative treatment group, respectively. The survival analysis demonstrated that the total survival time of TIPS group was longer than that of the conservative treatment group, no statistical significance was observed (P = 0.08). Conclusion TIPS may be a secure and effective therapeutic strategy for PA-HSOS patients who do not respond to conservative treatment.