Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jun 27, 2026; 18(6): 120524
Published online Jun 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.120524
Published online Jun 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.120524
Fully covered metal vs plastic stents after failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: Impact on residual stones
Emre Balli, Mehlika Bilgi Kirmaci, Ghulam Reza Shahryar, Sezgin Yilmaz, Department of General Surgery, Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Afyonkarahisar 03100, Türkiye
Author contributions: Balli E and Bilgi Kirmaci M designed the study; Shahryar GR recruited the participants and collected the data; Yilmaz S performed the statistical analysis and interpreted the data; Balli E and Yilmaz S drafted the initial manuscript; all authors critically reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University.
Informed consent statement: Given the retrospective nature of this study and the use of de-identified data, the requirement for informed consent was waived by the Ethics Committee of the Afyonkarahisar University of Health Sciences.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data in this study were obtained from the Afyonkarahisar Healt Sciences Hospital database, where restrictions may be applied, as information could compromise the privacy of research participants. The datasets may be requested from the corresponding author.
Corresponding author: Emre Balli, Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Dörtyol Mah. 2078 Sok. No. 3/4, Afyonkarahisar 03100, Türkiye. balliemre_88@hotmail.com
Received: March 1, 2026
Revised: March 12, 2026
Accepted: March 25, 2026
Published online: June 27, 2026
Processing time: 113 Days and 13.8 Hours
Revised: March 12, 2026
Accepted: March 25, 2026
Published online: June 27, 2026
Processing time: 113 Days and 13.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study compared the clinical efficacy of fully covered self-expandable metal stents and plastic stents in patients with difficult bile duct stones following unsuccessful initial endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). In this retrospective single-center cohort, propensity score matching minimized selection bias and ensured baseline comparability. Residual stone rates at second-look ERCP were lower in the metal stent group. Re-intervention and repeat stenting were also reduced, while complication rates were similar between groups. Multivariate analysis identified metal stent placement as an independent predictor of ductal clearance. Temporary metal stent placement appears safe and clinically beneficial.