Should transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt stent grafts be underdilated?

Abstract

Although underdilation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) stent grafts is commonly performed to limit complications arising from excessive portosystemic shunting, it is uncertain whether underdilated stents retain their smaller diameter indefinitely or eventually expand to nominal caliber. In this investigation, postprocedure computed tomography (CT) was used to compare diameters of underdilated TIPSs and TIPSs expanded to a nominal diameter of 10 mm in 61 cases. The groups had comparable shunt diameters on post-TIPS imaging (9.8 mm vs 9.9 mm; P = .079), with similar incidences of hepatic encephalopathy (34% vs 20%; P = .372), indicating stent self-expansion over time, and bringing into question the advantages of underdilation for customization of shunt caliber.