TIPPS procedure explained on video
The following video demonstrates the transjugular intrahepatic portal systemic shunt procedure TIPPS used to lower portal pressure and lessen complications of portal hypertension.
This technique is usually performed by a radiologist but other clinicians can also carry this out. In this procedure a metal tube is passed across the liver to allow the blood in the portal vein to go straight into the hepatic vein and so bypass the high resistance of the liver. The procedure can take several hours to perform, but it is not without complications.
Portal hypertension can occur due to an increased resistance to
flow at three levels (a) before the portal veins drains into the liver
(b) within the liver due to changes in the liver tissue (Cirrhosis) and
(c) due to a block on the veins that drains blood from the liver to the
heart(Budd Chari's syndrome) .
By and large the commonest cause
of portal hypertension is Cirrhosis liver .Here the soft liver is
replaced by tough fibrous tissue . This causes a significant increase in
the resistance to blood that flows from the portal vein into the liver.
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