Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt: A Possible Risk Factor for Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment Failure in Patients With Hepatitis C?

Abstract

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies have revolutionized the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, achieving sustained virological response (SVR) rates of >90% even in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis. Having observed an unusual case of repeated DAA therapy failures in a patient with a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), we assessed a possible association between prior TIPS placement and DAA failure. A structured search of our clinical database revealed 10 patients who had received DAA therapy after TIPS placement. At the time of therapy, most patients (8; 80%) presented with a Child-Pugh score B, and the following DAA regimens were used: sofosbuvir/ledipasvir ± ribavirin (5 patients), sofosbuvir/daclatasvir ± ribavirin (3), sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (2), and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (1). In total, 5 patients (50%) achieved an SVR, whereas a virological relapse occurred in the other half of the cases, including 2 patients with multiple relapses. In this patient cohort, SVR rates were unusually low for all regimens: sofosbuvir/ledipasvir ± ribavirin, 3/5 (60%); sofosbuvir/daclatasvir ± ribavirin, 2/3 (66%); sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, 0/2 (0%); and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir, 0/1 (0%), and patients with a TIPS made up a relevant proportion of DAA failures in patients with cirrhosis at our center: sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, 2/18 (11%); sofosbuvir/daclatasvir, 1/4 (25%); sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, 2/3 (66%); and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir, 1/1 (100%). Conclusion: We observed a high rate of virological relapse in patients with a TIPS who received DAA treatment and therefore postulate that TIPS placement may be a possible risk factor for DAA failure due to the profound hemodynamic changes evoked by the intervention. Longer treatment duration or addition of ribavirin might be warranted in these patients.

Bibliographical data

Original languageEnglish
ISSN2471-254X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 05.2019
PubMed 31061950