Early migration of fully covered double-layered metallic stents for post-gastric bypass anastomotic strictures

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) is well recognized for its efficiency in morbidly obese patients. Anastomotic strictures present in 5-15% of cases and have a significant impact on the patient's quality of life. Endoscopic balloon dilation is the recommended treatment but management of refractory cases is challenging.

Two patients with anastomotic stenoses refractory to dilations were treated with fully covered esophageal stents. Both cases presented early stent migration. The first patient finally underwent surgical revision of the anastomosis. For the second patient, a double-layered stent was installed after the first incident. After the migration of this second stent, three sessions of intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide were performed. Both patients were free of obstructive symptoms at a follow-up of 9 months.

Treatment of post-gastric bypass strictures with stents is based on years of successful experience with endoscopic stenting of malignant esophageal strictures, gastric outlet obstruction in addition to anastomotic stenoses after esophageal cancer surgery. The actual prosthesis are however inadequate for the particularities of the LRYGB anastomosis with a high migration rate. Intralesional corticosteroid injection therapy has been reported to be beneficial in the management of refractory benign esophageal strictures and seems to have prevented recurrence of the stenosis in this post-LRYGB.

Stents are aimed at preventing a complex surgical reintervention but are not yet specifically designed for that indication. Local infiltration of corticosteroids at the time of dilation may prevent recurrence of the anastomotic stricture.