Transhepatic removal of obstructed Carey-Coons biliary endoprosthesis

A criticism of the use of an endoprosthesis for relief of biliary obstruction has been the difficulty of removing or exchanging the endoprosthesis if it becomes obstructed. We present a simple method of removal that has been successful in four of five patients who presented with an obstructed endoprosthesis 3-7 months after placement.