A good friend of mine has nearly died from severe bleeding from his stomach, and his doctor has suggested a TIPS procedure be done. What is this about?
A TIPS (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt) involves creating a conduit or a channel between the portal vein which drains the intestinal blood flow into the liver back to the heart, and the hepatic vein, which drains blood from the liver to the heart. Note that many diseases that affect the liver cause tiny vessels in the organ to scar down, sort of like plugging the pores in a filter. In turn, this scaring causes the pressure in the portal vein to rise. The high pressure blood in the system has to get back to the heart in some fashion. This blood frequently gets back to the heart by forming dilated channels within the intestinal walls that are susceptible to rupture and massive hemorrhage. This situation can be a life threatening condition. A TIPS procedure creates a direct channel from the portal system back to the right artium of the heart. This channel reduces the pressure in the system and, thus the risk for bleeding. A TIPS is much, much safer than the surgical options
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