부산대학교 도서관

Patients with refractory hepatic hydrothorax (HHT) who fail to respond to medical treatment experience a low quality of life and poor prognosis. In this study, we evaluated the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in 20 patients with refractory HHT from 2001 to 2015. The mean age was 61.1±10.8 years and the mean Child-Pugh score (CPS) was 9.7±1.5 points. All patients experienced successful insertion of the TIPS and had no need for thoracenteses after TIPS. The one-year survival rate among all patients was 69% and the median survival length was 23.2 months; otherwise, the results were improved to 73% and 27.8 months when the analysis was limited to patients with a CPS score of less than 11 points. Two of four patients with CPS scores of 12 points died of liver failure within 60 days after TIPS. In conclusion, TIPS is effective for refractory HHT and may improve the survival of patients; however, its use should be limited to patients with CPS scores of less than 11 points.