Transhepatic insertion of a metallic stent for the relief of malignant afferent loop obstruction

A 65-year-old man with a polya gastrectomy presented with biliary obstruction. Percutaneous cholangiography indicated strictures of the distal common bile duct and afferent duodenal loop due to an inoperable carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. The patient was unfit for bypass surgery, and a previous gastrectomy precluded endoscopic intervention. Successful palliation of the biliary obstruction was achieved by placing metallic stents across the duodenal and biliary strictures via the transhepatic route. The use of stents for gastrointestinal stricture is reviewed.