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©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Jan 16, 2026; 18(1): 116517
Published online Jan 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i1.116517
Published online Jan 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i1.116517
Stent selection in elderly biliary drainage: A pragmatic guide from benign to malignant
Amira A A Othman, Department of Internal Medicine, Suez University, Suez 43511, Egypt
Author contributions: Othman AAA conceptualized the editorial theme, reviewed the relevant literature, and wrote the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Amira A A Othman, PhD, MD, Lecturer, Principal Investigator, Depart
Received: November 13, 2025
Revised: November 30, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: January 16, 2026
Processing time: 63 Days and 8.9 Hours
Revised: November 30, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: January 16, 2026
Processing time: 63 Days and 8.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: With population aging, endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage is increasingly performed in frail, comorbid patients. The study by Sugimoto et al provides critical evidence that stent selection in elderly patients should be individualized: Plastic stents are suitable for benign conditions due to easier exchange and reintervention, while metal stents better serve malignant obstruction by offering longer patency and reducing repeat procedures. This editorial integrates their results into a pragmatic, patient-centered framework for geriatric endoscopic practice and underscores the urgent need for pro