UDCA to Prevent Post-TIPS Hepatic Encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) commonly occurs after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has been reported to alleviate neurodegenerative disease recently. This open-label multicenter randomized controlled trial tests whether adding UDCA (13-15 mg/kg/day) to standard lactulose prophylaxis reduces the incidence of overt HE (OHE; West Haven grade II-IV) after TIPS, compared with lactulose alone. The regimen starts within 72 hours before TIPS and continues for 3 months. The trial aims to evaluate the effect of UDCA in reducing the incidence of post-TIPS OHE.

NCT Number	NCT07273734
Lead Sponsor	West China Hospital Collaborators: The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Qianjiang Central Hospital of Chongqing, The Third People's Hospital of Kunming City
Conditions	Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE), TIPS
Enrollment	270 participants
Start Date	2026-01-01
Primary Completion	2027-06-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-12-09