Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a primary complication following transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), but the utility of pharmacological prophylaxis for HE is unclear. AIM: To assess the HE incidence post-TIPS across various groups and the prophylactic efficacies of various medications. METHODS: A thorough literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases from their inception to November 24, 2024, to collect data regarding HE incidence. The main outcome was HE incidence post-TIPS. A meta-analysis using a random effects model was performed to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata and RevMan software. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included nine studies with 1140 patients; 647 received pharmacological agents including lactulose, rifaximin, albumin, and l-ornithin-l-aspartate, and 493 did not (controls). (1) In the single-group meta-analysis, the control group had higher short- and long-term HE rates than the drug intervention group. Among patients with and without prior HE, the non-intervention group's HE rates were also higher; (2) Pharmacological prevention post-TIPS significantly reduced HE incidence [OR = 0.59 (0.45, 0.77), P = 0.0001]. Compared with the no prophylaxis, rifaximin reduced the risk of HE after TIPS [OR = 0.52 (0.29, 0.95), P = 0.03], but lactulose did not; (3) In patients without prior HE, pharmacological prevention significantly reduced post-TIPS HE incidence [OR = 0.62 (0.41,0.95), P = 0.03]; and (4) Network meta-analysis showed no significant differences among five prevention strategies. CONCLUSION: The HE incidence after TIPS was relatively high, and the use of drugs after TIPS may reduce the HE incidence. However, research, especially large-scale randomized controlled trials, is still lacking.