Austrian Registry and Biobank for Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts (TIPS): AUTIPS (AUstrian TIPS Study)

What this Trial Is About

This research focuses on patients with portal hypertension, a serious complication often arising from advanced chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis. The study aims to document the clinical course of patients who have undergone or are expected to undergo a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure. It also evaluates biomarkers that might predict complications following the TIPS implantation. The study is a prospective registry designed to collect long-term outcome data, addressing a gap in existing knowledge about the effects of TIPS over time. The study involves observing patients who have had or will have a TIPS procedure. Since this is an observational registry study, no experimental treatments are administered. Instead, the clinical progress of participants is carefully tracked, including medical surveillance and patient stratification, reflecting improvements in stent grafts and care practices over recent years. The study does not involve any invasive interventions beyond the standard TIPS procedure. Participants will be monitored over a period extending up to 10 years. Researchers will assess transplant-free survival as the primary outcome and will also evaluate complications related to portal hypertension and hepatic encephalopathy. Patient-reported quality of life is measured using established questionnaires such as SF36v2 and CLDQ. Throughout the study, clinical data and biomarkers will be collected and analyzed to better understand the long-term effects of TIPS and associated complications.

Austrian Registry on Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts