Stent-graft implantation for hepatic arterial bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify the technical and clinical outcomes of stent-graft implantation in patients with hepatic artery bleeding.

Materials and methods: The PubMed database was searched for publications between 2000 and March 2025 evaluating patients treated with stent-graft implantation for hepatic arterial hemorrhage. The outcome measurements were technical (successful hemostasis with stent-grafts) and clinical success (no rebleeding from hepatic arteries), early mortality, and stent-graft patency during follow-up. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the included publications. An individual patient data meta-analysis was performed using the chi-square test or Fischer exact test to identify predictors of stent-graft patency.

Results: In total, 351 patients from 22 studies were included. The mean NOS score was 5.4 ± 0.95. Most patients (n = 323) had bleeding after surgery. The technical success rate of stent-graft placement was 94.3%. Patients with technical failure were managed either by surgery (n = 10) or coil embolization of the hepatic artery (n = 10). Rebleeding from hepatic arteries was seen in 24 patients with a clinical success rate of 92.7%. The early mortality rate was 15.6%. Follow-up showed stent-graft patency in 76.5% (202 of 264) of the cases. Most of the stent-graft occlusions (51/62, 82.2%) were asymptomatic. No significant difference was seen in the rate of stent-graft patency between patients receiving acetylsalicylic acid or not, or dual antiplatelet treatment or not. Overlapping stent-grafts (p = 0.009) were significant risk factors for stent-graft occlusion.

Conclusion: Stent-graft implantation in hepatic arterial bleeding is associated with high technical and clinical success rates. Despite the considerable rate of stent-graft occlusion during follow-up, occlusion is mostly asymptomatic, probably due to collateral development.