Chairman, and the members of the Society of Interventional Radiology Technology Assessment Committee1

IN the last 5 years, the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure has become widely disseminated. The number of inter-ventional radiologists who are creat-ing shunts has steadily increased as the procedure has become an accepted method of reducing portal vein pres-sure (1–28). Although the optimal technique for shunt creation continues to evolve, shunts can routinely be created in more than 93 % of patients (5,8,13, 14,18,29). Accordingly, significant at-tention is now directed to the collec-tion and reporting of prospective, standardized controlled data regard-ing the safety, efficacy, and patency of TIPS. The purpose of this document is to aid this process by recommending standards for reporting of TIPS data. At present, the most accepted indi-cation for TIPS is for the treatment of recurrent variceal hemorrhage that is refractory or not amenable to endo-scopic therapy. Other indications are being evaluated, such as refractory as-cites. It is too early to reach a consen-sus on reporting standards addressing all uses of TIPS. Future addenda to this document will discuss other uses of TIPS as they become more estab-lished