Obstructive jaundice: use of expandable metal endoprosthesis for biliary drainage. Work in progress.

Expandable metal endoprostheses were implanted transhepatically in 61 patients with obstructive jaundice. Fifty-three patients had malignant and eight had benign obstructions. Because of the small diameter of the compressed stent (7 F), primary implantation of the stent without a previous catheter drainage was preferred. Postprocedural complications occurred in three patients (5%) (biliary pleuritis, peritonitis, hepatic artery aneurysm). The 30-day mortality rate was 8.2%. Reocclusions were observed in six of the patients with malignant obstructions (11%) (observation period, 1-10 months; mean, 4.5 months) and in two of the patients with benign stenoses (25%) (observation period, 3-21 months; mean, 9 months). The higher reocclusion rate of benign obstructions must be interpreted with care because of the small number of patients. From their preliminary experience, the authors conclude that expandable metal endoprostheses offer patency rates equal to those of plastic stents. The implantation trauma is reduced due to the small 7-F introducing catheter system.