Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is becoming an accepted procedure as a bridge to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and bleeding from portal hypertension. It allows the immediate control of acute bleeding and decreases the risk of recurrent acute bleeding while the patient is awaiting OLT. We review in this report, our experience with 85 patients who underwent a TIPS procedure for gastrointestinal variceal bleeding from September 1991 until April 1994. All patients had liver cirrhosis and all had previous sclerotherapy before TIPS. Child-Pugh score was calculated at enrollment, and all patients were evaluated for possible OLT. Thirteen patients were Child A, 49 were Child B, and 23 were Child C. Fifty-three patients were candidates for OLT, and 32 were not. TIPS was performed urgently in 25 patients. At a median follow-up of pper gastrointestinal tract bleeding is a major U cause of death in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) second only to progressive liver failure. 1,2 Surgical shunts and/or sclerotherapy are able to control the bleeding but have no effect on the underlying liver d i~e a s e .~.~ With improved management of patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), this form of treatment has clearly become the most effective therapy for patients with ESLD.5,h However, this form of treatment is limited to patients who are able to withstand such major surgery. The waiting time for OLT candidate patients has been increasing because of the limited donor pool and the continuous expansion of indications for OLT. Recently, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) has been considered in patients with ESLD mainly for acute variceal bleeding that cannot be successfully controlled with medical treatment and recurrent variceal bleeding in patients who are refractory or intolerant to conventional medical management.'-I4 TIPS may serve as a bridge to OLT without the negative technical effect observed with central surgical shunts during the transplantation 582 days (range, 1 to 1,095), 35 patients underwent transplantation, 21 patients died, and 29 patients are still alive and did not undergo transplantation. Technical complications were observed in 7% of patients and new onset of clinical encephalopathy in 37%. The 30-day mortality rate after TIPS was 13%. Actuarial survival was 60% at 1 and 3 years. Child class C and urgent TIPS were shown to be two independent predictor factors for mortality. TIPS was shown to be a valuable procedure, not only as a bridge to OLT but also as palliation for bleeding from portal hypertension in patients who were not candidates for either surgical shunt or OLT. However, its role in bleeding patients with acceptable liver function needs further investigation. Copyright 0 1996 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases procedure and the possible morbidity and mortality associated with shunt procedure itself.We report our experience in patients who underwent TIPS reg...