Long-term outcomes of a benign biliary stricture protocol

Area of Science:

• Interventional Radiology
• Gastroenterology
• Hepatology

Background:

• Benign biliary strictures can cause significant morbidity.
• Percutaneous treatment offers a minimally invasive approach to manage these strictures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term outcomes of a structured protocol for percutaneous treatment of benign biliary strictures.
• To assess the durability and efficacy of this interventional approach.

Main Methods:

• A protocol involving staged catheter upsizing, balloon dilation, and prolonged stenting was used.
• Seventy-one patients with benign biliary strictures were enrolled.
• Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to determine long-term patency rates.

Main Results:

• Stricture patency was achieved in 65% of patients entering the protocol and 87% of those completing it.
• Long-term Kaplan-Meier analysis showed stricture patency probabilities of 84% at 1 year, decreasing to 67% at 10 years.
• Anastomotic strictures were the most common type (64%).

Conclusions:

• A structured percutaneous treatment protocol yields durable long-term results for benign biliary strictures.
• Percutaneous treatment is an effective therapeutic option for managing benign biliary strictures.
• The protocol demonstrates sustained efficacy over a decade of follow-up.