Dr. Sahaj Rathi  honoured with prestigious Melwin Schapiro Memorial Award at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference in Washington DC on May 20th, 2024
A team of doctors from the department of Hepatology, PGIMER Chandigarh, led by Dr Sahaj Rathi,   Dr. Sunil Taneja and Prof Ajay Duseja, have developed another novel technique for management of Hepatic encephalopathy, a serious complication of cirrhosis. Dr. Sahaj Rathi, Assistant professor,department of Hepatology, PGI, unveiled this innovative technique, EUS guided Porto-Splenic Split(EPSS), at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference in Washington DC on May 20th, 2024.
This event, organised by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, is the largest and most prestigious global gathering of professionals in the field of digestive diseases. His presentation was met with high critical acclaim, earning him the prestigious Melwin Schapiro Memorial Award for the best video presentation among all categories.
Hepatic Encephalopathy is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that impacts patients with liver cirrhosis, often leading to confusion, behavioural changes, hospitalizations, coma, and even death. Often, the culprit are bypass channels which shunt the blood from intestines away from the liver and to the heart and brain. This novel technique utilizes endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guidance to selectively divert this shunting. The team has been actively innovating endoscopic techniques for treating complications of cirrhosis, and had recently described another technique called ETSO (EUS guided Trans-gastric Shunt Obliteration). This was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology last year.
Head of the Department Prof Ajay Duseja said “Hepatic Encephalopathy in patients with advanced cirrhosis can sometimes be very difficult to treat. Transplant is the best option, but it is not possible in all patients predominantly due to financial constraints in our setup. In some patients, hepatic encephalopathy may be the only complication of cirrhosis and other functions of the liver are relatively preserved. In these patients directly going for liver transplantation may not be the first option. This innovative technique can be a boon for patients who cannot undergo liver transplant and struggle with the troubling ailment of hepatic encephalopathy. This work exemplifies a combination of cutting-edge research and the unwavering commitment of our team towards patient care."