Rifaximin vs Placebo for the Prevention of Encephalopathy in Patients Treated by TIPS
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2017-07-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
TIPS has been used for 20 years, as a means of reducing portal pressure in patients with
cirrhosis and portal hypertension related complications. TIPS proved more effective than
alternative treatments in controlling or preventing variceal bleeding and refractory ascites.
The main drawback of the TIPS procedure is progressive overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE).
Three risk factors for post-TIPS OHE have been identified: age over 65 years, history of
previous episodes of OHE, and Child-Pugh score equal to or over 10. However, the incidence of
post-TIPS OHE in patients fulfilling these criteria remains close to 35 %.