For the prevention of recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding, previous clinical studies and meta-analysis show that patients treated with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) have lower rebleeding rates compared with endoscopic therapy. However, TIPS is associated with higher rates of portosystemic encephalopathy and does not show survival benefit. TIPS with a small-diameter may achieve sufficient portal decompression and reduce the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy. The aim of this study was to conduct a prospective randomized trial to compare TIPS with 8mm ePTFE-covered stents and endoscopic variceal ligation plus propranolol for the prevention of recurrent esophageal variceal bleeding.
