Self-expandable stainless steel braided endoprosthesis for biliary strictures

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Interventional Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Symptomatic biliary strictures, both malignant and benign, necessitate effective stent placement.
• Traditional biliary stents face challenges with diameter, migration, and recurrent complications.
• A new stainless steel woven mesh stent offers a large-diameter, percutaneously delivered option.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel stainless steel woven mesh biliary stent.
• To assess complication rates, including mortality, early and late complications, and stent migration.
• To compare the frequency of recurrent jaundice with this new stent against historical data from plastic stents.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 45 patients with symptomatic biliary strictures (40 malignant, 5 benign).
• Insertion of a compressed stainless steel woven mesh stent via a 7- or 9-F delivery catheter.
• Monitoring for 30-day mortality, early (<72 hours) and late complications, recurrent jaundice, and stent migration.

Main Results:

• The 30-day mortality rate was 7%, with an early complication rate of 16%.
• Recurrent jaundice occurred in 42% of patients, and late sepsis without jaundice in 11%.
• No instances of stent migration were observed.

Conclusions:

• The new large-diameter stainless steel biliary stent can be percutaneously inserted without increased risk of complications.
• The stent's non-migratory design is a significant advantage.
• The frequency of recurrent jaundice was similar to plastic stents, potentially due to patient selection and complexity of strictures.