Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40782353›Full record

ArticleUnited European gastroenterology journal2025

Plasma Ammonia Levels Predict Hepatic Encephalopathy After Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Placement.

Lisa Sandmann, Julius F M Egge, Anja Tiede, Alena F Ehrenbauer, Martin A Kabelitz, Hannah Rieland, Jim B Mauz, Bernhard C Meyer, Heiner Wedemeyer, Karin Weissenborn and 1 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in United European gastroenterology journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04801290 (Benefits and Limitations of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04801290 recruitingnot on this map

Benefits and Limitations of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts (TIPS) in Patients With Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis

Typeobservational_patient_registrySponsorHannover Medical SchoolRan2019 to 2027Enrolled250ConditionsDecompensated Liver CirrhosisArmsTIPS insertion
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lisa SandmannDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4425-2640
Julius F M EggeDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9651-5401
Anja TiedeDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5936-8307
Alena F EhrenbauerDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Martin A KabelitzDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Hannah RielandDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Jim B MauzDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Bernhard C MeyerDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Heiner WedemeyerDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2906-0480
Karin WeissenbornDepartment of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Benjamin MaasoumyDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3250-3177

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPlacement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is an effective treatment for portal hypertension. Overt hepatic encephalopathy (oHE) is a complication after TIPS associated with increased morbidity. Elevated ratio of plasma ammonia (AMM) levels compared to the local upper limit of normal (ULN) has been associated with oHE, hepatic complications and increased mortality in patients with cirrhosis without TIPS. The role of AMM in risk stratification of post-TIPS oHE is unclear.

objectiveTo investigate the role of AMM in the prediction of oHE in patients receiving TIPS placement.

methodsPatients with TIPS placement were recruited within a prospective observational study protocol with follow-up (FU) visits at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after TIPS. Post hoc analyses of AMM levels for the association with the primary (oHE) and secondary endpoints (hepatic decompensation, infections, death/liver transplantation) during the first year after TIPS placement were performed.

resultsOf 188 patients with TIPS placement, 148 patients with available baseline AMM levels were included. During follow-up, 37% (55/148) of patients developed oHE. In multivariable competing risk analysis, baseline AMM/ULN (HR 2.03 [CI 1.42-2.89], p = 0.001) and Freiburg index of post-TIPS survival (FIPS) score (HR 1.52 [CI 1.03-2.24], p = 0.037) were independently associated with oHE. The published cut-off AMM/ULN > 1.4 showed comparable results (HR 2.40 [CI 1.24-4.65], p = 0.01). AMM at FU1 was available in 100 patients, of whom 28% (28/100) developed oHE after FU1. In multivariable competing risk analysis, AMM/ULN (HR 5.48 [CI 2.37-12.67], p < 0.001), psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (HR 0.86 [0.78-0.96], p = 0.005) and FIPS (HR 3.57 [CI 1.79-7.14], p < 0.001) at FU1 were independently associated with oHE after FU1. No significant association between AMM/ULN and the secondary endpoints was detected.

conclusionAMM levels before TIPS are independently associated with oHE after TIPS placement. AMM levels may serve as an additional marker for risk stratification of patients.

trial registrationClinical trial number NCT04801290.

Indexed as

AmmoniaHepatic EncephalopathyHypertension, PortalPortasystemic Shunt, Transjugular IntrahepaticPostoperative ComplicationsAdultAgedFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansLiver CirrhosisMaleMiddle AgedObservational Studies as TopicPredictive Value of TestsProspective StudiesAmmoniaFreiburg index of post‐TIPS survival (FIPS)liver cirrhosisovert hepatic encephalopathyplasma ammonia levelsportal hypertensionpost‐TIPS outcomestransjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)

Identifiers

PMID40782353
PMCPMC12463689

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.