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RecruitingNCT05782556FRETIRUpdated May 1, 2026

Freiburg TIPS Registry

An observational study in Liver Cirrhosis, Portal Hypertension and Non-Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension, sponsored by University Hospital Freiburg. Recruiting at 1 site in Germany. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 100 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-01.

Sponsored by University Hospital Freiburg · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jan 2023; still recruiting 3 years 10 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
2,000
Ages
18 Years to 100 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Patients with clinically significant portal hypertension allocated to implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) at the Department of Medicine II of the University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany will be offered to participate in this prospective observational trial.

Clinical and laboratory as well as outcome parameters will be assessed before and within the first 12 months after TIPS implantation following a regular follow-up schedule with clinical visits at the University Medical Center Freiburg. During follow-up visits, serum/plasma samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are collected and stored in a associated biobank.

Read the detailed description

Patients with clinically significant cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension who are allocated to implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) can be included in this observational study. Further patients who have been treated between 01/01/2005 and the start of the prospective part of this study (01/01/2023) will be included retrospectively in this registry.

Patients who are allocated to TIPS implantation will be recruited the day before TIPS implantation. Detailled patient characteristics, epidemiologic, clinical, imaging and laboratory parameters will be assessed and included in an electronic database. Further, interventional data of TIPS implantation will be included in the database.

Apart from these data, patients will be asked to participate in biobank sampling including serum/plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) samples from the peripheral veins and from the liver and portal vein that will be taken during TIPS implantation.

All patients recruited in this registry will be followed-up for at least 12 months with regular visits 3, 6 and 12 months after TIPS implantation.

Outcome parameters including development of post-TIPS hepatic encephalopathy, acute- on chronic liver failure (ACLF), infections, recurrence of clinically significant portal hypertension, need for TIPS revision and death and liver transplantation will be assessed.

02

Conditions studied

  • Liver Cirrhosis
  • Portal Hypertension
  • Non-Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension
  • Budd Chiari Syndrome
  • Portal Vein Thrombosis
  • Portal Systemic Shunt

Keywords

  • Liver cirhosis
  • Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
  • Non-Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension
  • Prognosis
  • Outcome
03

In context

Liver Cirrhosis

1,298 studies on the registry are indexed under Liver Cirrhosis; 338 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 2,000 is above the median of 171 across 526 observational studies indexed under Liver Cirrhosis.

Browse Liver Cirrhosis studies →

Lead sponsor

University Hospital Freiburg is the lead sponsor of 94 studies on the registry; 18 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 100 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients allocated to TIPS implantation due to clinically significant cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension will be included in this study.In summary, patients with the folowing conditions can be included:

  • liver cirrhosis and indication for TIPS implantation (pre-emptive TIPS or rescue TIPS in case of varical bleeding, secondary prophylaxis of varical bleeding, recurrent or refractory ascites, TIPS before surgery)
  • non-cirrhotic portal vein thrombosis
  • Budd-Chiari syndrome
  • porto-sinusoidal vascular disease

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients allocated to TIPS implantation due to cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Withdrawal of written
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
2,000 participants (estimated)
Target follow-up
12 Months
Patient registry
Yes
Biospecimen retention
Samples without dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Patients allocated to implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)

    Patients allocated to implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) due to cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension

    Device: Implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)

Interventions

  • DeviceImplantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)

    For TIPS implantation, a transjugular approach is used in all patients and a puncture needle was advanced into a hepatic vein. Puncture of the portal vein is performed using ultrasound guidance followed by portography after successful puncture of the portal vein. Further, the parenchymal tract isdilated and the stent graft is placed. Before and after TIPS implantation, portal venous and central venous pressures are measured to calculate the porto-systemic pressure gradient

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Transplantation-free survival

    Time from study inclusion to death or liver transplantation

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time to development of post-TIPS hepatic encephalopathy

    Time from study inclusion to development of post-TIPS hepatic encephalopathy

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  2. Time to development of post-TIPS acute- on chronic liver failure (ACLF)

    Time from study inclusion to development of post-TIPS ACLF

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  3. Time to need for TIPS revision

    Time from study inclusion to need for TIPS revision

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  4. Prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with TIPS implantation

    Osteoporosis is assessed by DXA measurement

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  5. Impact of osteoporosis on prognosis and decompensating events after TIPS

    Osteoporosis is assessed by DXA measurement. Bone density will be correlated with prognosis and decompensating events.

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  6. Prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with TIPS implantation

    Sarcopenia is assessed by computed tomography.

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  7. Impact of sarcopenia on prognosis and decompensating events after TIPS

    Sarcopenia is assessed by computed tomography and is correlated with prognosis and the development of decompensating events after TIPS

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  8. Time to development of post-TIPS infections/sepsis

    Time from study inclusion to development of post-TIPS infections/sepsis

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

  9. Periinterventional complications

    Periinterventional complications (infections, bleeding, biliary injury) are assessed during the intervention. These complications are documented in the report of the intervention and are assessed systematically.

    Time frame: 01/01/2023-31/12/2033

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • University Medical Center Freiburg, Department of Medicine II
    Freiburg im Breisgau, 79106, Germany
    Recruiting
    • Dominik Bettinger, MD · Contactdominik.bettinger@uniklinik-freiburg.de · 49761270-36870
    • Dominik Bettinger, MD · Principal investigator
    • Michael Schultheiß, MD · Sub investigator
    • Lukas Sturm, MD · Sub investigator
    • Marlene Reincke, MD · Sub investigator
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Heger LA, Chang J, Rohrer C, Reincke M, Eyth A, Sturm L, Schultheiss M, Maier A, Meyer C, Jansen C, Graf K, Ozturk C, Schneider F, Trebicka J, Westermann D, Thimme R, Grundmann S, Praktiknjo M, Bettinger D. Right Ventricular Contractility Predicts Clearance of Ascites After Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt. Liver Int. 2025 Dec;45(12):e70422. doi: 10.1111/liv.70422. PubMed 41204773 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Jan 2023 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2033, 131 months after the start.

Of 231 non-industry observational studies under Liver Cirrhosis, half reached primary completion within 47 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 71. This study's planned 131 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 247 studies reached it within 47 months; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 71.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 10, 2023
First posted
Mar 23, 2023
StartActual
Jan 1, 2023
Primary completionEst.
Dec 31, 2033
CompletionEst.
Jun 30, 2034
Last update
May 1, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 1, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05782556
Lead sponsor
University Hospital Freiburg
Responsible party
Prof. Dr. Dominik Bettinger (MD, University Hospital Freiburg) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 23, 2023
Start date
Jan 1, 2023
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2033 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2034 (estimated)
Last update
May 1, 2026

Study contacts

Dominik Bettinger, MD
Contact
dominik.bettinger@uniklinik-freiburg.de
49761270-36870
Dominik Bettinger, MD
principal investigator · University Hospital Freiburg

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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