Enteral stents in malignant bowel obstruction.

Colorectal stent placement offers a minimally invasive approach for relief of malignant bowel obstruction. Stent placement is safe and effective in carefully selected patients as a bridge to surgery or for definitive palliation of obstruction. Concerns remain regarding the long-term efficacy of stent placement and related complications. Future studies are needed to identify patients who are the best candidates for stent placement.