Liver stent

[Gweans]

Hi.im new here .my husband was diagnosed with cirrhosis Nash last year.. fluid gathers very quickly and every 3/4weeks he has it drained.doctor is talking about a liver stent.has anyone had this and had it been successful.thanks

[AyrshireK]

It's called a TIPS (Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt) and can be very effective in reducing fluid build up. I take it hubby is already on diuretics and following a low salt diet.

One drawback of TIPS is it can lead to a worsening of Hepatic Encephalopathy symptoms because blood will almost be in a canal going through the liver and receive no detoxification leading to toxin build up in blood. Definitely something you want to discuss with doctors before going ahead to make sure there is treatment of HE and monitoring in place.

Is your husband likely to be a potential candidate for transplant, it might be worth asking and starting the ball rolling if he isn't already under a transplant unit it is worth asking for a referral. TIPS whilst good may only be a stop gap remedy.

All the best, Katie

[Gweans in reply to AyrshireK]

Thanks for that. No talk of a transplant.he has only seen a consultant once.but has an appointment in may so I'll ask a few questions then..given he is 75 not sure if a transplant is a possibility.

[AyrshireK in reply to Gweans]

Ah, right - sadly age may well be against him so transplant possibly not an option. You do want to make sure you have treatment and monitoring in place for HE in that case it happens as a result of the TIPS.

Best wishes,

Katie

[Gweans in reply to AyrshireK]

Thank you Kate .best wishes.

[Mango5cm]

My son has decompensated cirrhosis and had a TIPS procedure in November . He was in hospital overnight . He was having upto 12 litres of fluid drained every week . He’s on water tablets now and has upto 4 litres drained every week . The procedure was successful with no problems and he hasn’t had any episodes if HE . It has helped but not completely resolved the fluid build up . It’s definitely worth doing . Hope your husband improves . Best wishes Carol

[Gweans]

Thank you carol.