Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2010; 16(42): 5347-5352
Published online Nov 14, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i42.5347
Endoscopic management of occluded metal biliary stents: Metal versus 10F plastic stents
Won Jae Yoon, Ji Kon Ryu, Jung Won Lee, Dong-Won Ahn, Yong-Tae Kim, Yong Bum Yoon, Sang Myung Woo, Woo Jin Lee
Won Jae Yoon, Ji Kon Ryu, Jung Won Lee, Dong-Won Ahn, Yong-Tae Kim, Yong Bum Yoon, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehang-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, South Korea
Sang Myung Woo, Woo Jin Lee, Center for Liver Cancer, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 410-769, South Korea
Author contributions: Yoon WJ and Ryu JK designed the research; Yoon WJ, Lee JW and Ahn DW performed research; Yoon WJ and Ryu JK analyzed the data; Yoon WJ, Yoon YB, Ryu JK, Kim YT, Woo SM and Lee WJ contributed to preparing the manuscript, editing and final approval.
Correspondence to: Ji Kon Ryu, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehang-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, South Korea. jkryu@snu.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-2-20721962 Fax: +82-2-7436701
Received: June 3, 2010
Revised: July 14, 2010
Accepted: July 21, 2010
Published online: November 14, 2010
Abstract

AIM: To compare the efficacy of self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) with 10F plastic stents (PSs) in the endoscopic management of occluded SEMSs.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 56 patients who underwent SEMS insertion for palliation of unresectable malignant biliary obstruction between 2000 and 2007 and subsequent endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) with SEMS or PS for initial SEMS occlusion between 2000 and 2008.

RESULTS: Subsequent ERBD with SEMS was performed in 29 patients and with PS in 27. The median time to stent occlusion after subsequent ERBD was 186 d in the SEMS group and 101 d in the PS group (P = 0.118). Overall median stent patency was 79 d for the SEMS group and 66 d for the PS group (P = 0.379). The mean number of additional biliary drainage procedures after subsequent ERBD in patients that died (n = 50) during the study period was 2.54 ± 4.12 for the SEMS group and 1.85 ± 1.95 for the PS group (P = 0.457). The mean total cost of additional biliary drainage procedures after the occlusion of subsequent SEMS or PS was $410.04 ± 692.60 for the SEMS group and $630.16 ± 671.63 for the PS group (P = 0.260). Tumor ingrowth as the cause of initial SEMS occlusion was the only factor associated with a shorter time to subsequent stent occlusion (101 d for patients with tumor ingrowth vs 268 d for patients without tumor ingrowth, P = 0.008).

CONCLUSION: Subsequent ERBD with PSs offered similar patency and number of additional biliary drainage procedures compared to SEMSs in the management of occluded SEMS.

Keywords: Stents; Biliary tract neoplasms; Obstructive jaundice; Endoscopy; Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography