Significance of Metallic Stent Used for Biliary Endoprosthesis

Tomoyoshi Okamoto, Satoru Yanagisawa, Yoshinori Inagaki, Yutaka Shiino, Tsuneo Takahashi, Teruaki Aoki, Shuichi Iwabuchi*, Junji Ikeuchi*

Department of Surgery (II), Jikei University School of Medicine
*Department of Surgery, Machida City Hospital

Endoprosthesis with metallic stent was conducted in 14 patients with obstructive jaundice (pancreatic cancer, 5 cases, cancer of bile duct, 5 cases, cholangiocellular carcinoma, one case, benign stricture, 2 cases and other, one case). An evaluation of this procedure and the results obtained from a comparision with conventional treatments are presented. The average age of patients with metallic stent was 71 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 10:4. The observation period after stent placement ranged from 1 to 65 weeks. After stents were retained, the external drainage catheter could be removed in 78%. Reobstruction was seen in 29%. The jaundice-free rate was 75% in surviving patients and 67% in those who died, or 71% overrall. Although complications were found in 2 patients, they were not severe. In a comparision of average survival periods and jaundice-free rates between 12 cases treated with this procedure, 29 cases with external drainage catheter and 12 cases treated with surgical bilioenteric bypass, which were all malignant, the survival periods were 27, 13 and 31 weeks, and their jaundice-free rates were 71, 100 and 92%, respectively. From these findings, this procedure was considered to be an effective endoprosthesis as it was less invasive than other procedures and the patients'quality of life could be improved more than by external drainage catheter retention, although problems such as reobstruction remain.

Key words
metallic stent on biliary tract, obstructive jaundice, biliary endoprosthesis

Reprint requests
Tomoyoshi Okamoto Department of Surgery (II), Jikei University School of Medicine
3-25-8 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105 JAPAN

Accepted
June 14, 1993

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