WL Gore and Associates commences new study of TIPS device

WL Gore and Associates has commenced a new clinical trial of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) device in the treatment of liver disease.

The first patient has been enrolled in the Gore Early TIPS for Ascites Study, which will compare the performance of the Gore Viatorr TIPS Endoprosthesis to large-volume paracentesis treatment in improving transplant-free survival rates among liver cirrhosis and ascites patients.

A total of 150 subjects will eventually be recruited in the 20-site study, which will represent the largest multidisciplinary collaboration between hepatologists and interventional radiologists in the field of early TIPS therapy.

The Gore Viatorr TIPS Endoprosthesis is the only covered stent indicated for TIPS creation and revision, which is a minimally invasive treatment option.

Dr Thomas Boyer, chief of the Arizona Liver Institute and the study's lead investigator, said: "We believe in this new TIPS study for early resistant ascites and that an improvement in survival will be seen."

Last month, the manufacturer announced that its Gore Viabahn Endoprosthesis with Propaten Bioactive Surface has received its first clinical application in the EU using a newly approved lower profile delivery system.