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Not yet recruitingNCT06122753Updated Nov 8, 2023

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

An interventional study of preemptive TIPS and standard second prophylaxis in Portal Hypertension, Portal Vein Thrombosis and Esophageal Varix Bleeding, sponsored by West China Hospital. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-11-08.

Sponsored by West China Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
120
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

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.

Read the 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.

02

Conditions studied

  • Portal Hypertension
  • Portal Vein Thrombosis
  • Esophageal Varix Bleeding
  • Portosystemic Shunt
03

In context

Hypertension, Portal

332 studies on the registry are indexed under Hypertension, Portal; 106 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 120 is above the median of 60 across 206 interventional studies indexed under Hypertension, Portal.

Browse Hypertension, Portal studies →

Lead sponsor

West China Hospital is the lead sponsor of 483 studies on the registry; 240 are open to participants now.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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

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.
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
120 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • 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).

    Procedure: standard second prophylaxis

  • 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.

    Procedure: preemptive TIPS

Interventions

  • Procedurepreemptive TIPS

    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.

    Also known as: early TIPS

  • Procedurestandard second prophylaxis

    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.

    Also known as: endoscopy plus drug treatment

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. 6-week mortality

    The rate of mortality during the first 6 weeks after inclusion in the study.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. 5-day treatment failure

    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.

    Time frame: 5 days

  2. 1-year mortality

    The rate of mortality during the first 1 year after inclusion in the study.

    Time frame: 1 year

  3. decompensation events

    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.

    Time frame: 1 year

  4. adverse events

    Events of various complications such as infections, new tumours, organ failure, peptic ulcers, etc., occurring after randomisation up to the follow-up period.

    Time frame: 1 year

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Study locations

1 site
  • West China Hospital of Sichuan University
    Chengdu, Sichuan 610000, China
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Wang X, Liu G, Wu J, Xiao X, Yan Y, Guo Y, Yang J, Li X, He Y, Yang L, Luo X. Small-Diameter Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt versus Endoscopic Variceal Ligation Plus Propranolol for Variceal Rebleeding in Advanced Cirrhosis. Radiology. 2023 Aug;308(2):e223201. doi: 10.1148/radiol.223201. PubMed 37606572 ↗
  • Luo X, Wang Z, Tsauo J, Zhou B, Zhang H, Li X. Advanced Cirrhosis Combined with Portal Vein Thrombosis: A Randomized Trial of TIPS versus Endoscopic Band Ligation Plus Propranolol for the Prevention of Recurrent Esophageal Variceal Bleeding. Radiology. 2015 Jul;276(1):286-93. doi: 10.1148/radiol.15141252. Epub 2015 Mar 10. PubMed 25759969 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 8, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06122753
Lead sponsor
West China Hospital
Collaborators
The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Beijing YouAn Hospital, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Beijing 302 Hospital
Responsible party
luo xuefeng (Professor, West China Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 8, 2023
Start date
Jan 2024 (estimated)
Primary completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 8, 2023

Study contacts

Xiazoe Wang, M.D.
Contact
wang_xiaoze@wchscu.cn
+8615208207573
Xuefeng Luo, Ph.D.
principal investigator · West China Hospital

Oversight

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

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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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