The usefulness of percutaneous bile duct metal stent insertion for malignant biliary obstruction: a retrospective study

BackgroundPercutaneous transhepatic bile duct stent insertion is a useful alternative to the endoscopic approach for malignant biliary strictures. This study retrospectively reviewed the cases of percutaneous metallic stent insertion at our institution to evaluate its safety and usefulness.MethodsThe study included cases of percutaneous bile duct stent insertion performed between April 2016 and August 2024. All patients included those with malignant biliary obstruction and those in whom an endoscopic approach was first attempted but could not reach or cannulate the papilla of Vater. Two procedures were used: a two-stage procedure, in which a drain was inserted to create an external or internal fistula, followed by stent insertion, and a one-stage procedure, in which the stent was inserted at the same time as the approach to the bile duct. The causes of biliary strictures and complications were examined.ResultsThe study included 14 cases: seven patients had pancreatic head cancer, including biliary tract cancer (n = 4) and postoperative gastric cancer (n = 3); three patients who underwent a one-stage insertion. The number of inserted stents tended to increase in patients with postoperative cholangiocarcinoma recurrence. No complication occurred in any patient. One patient had severe cholangitis, eight had moderate cholangitis, and four had mild cholangitis; two patients who underwent one-stage procedures had moderate cholangitis and one had mild cholangitis. In cases of two-stage expandable metal stent (EMS) insertion, the average time from initial drainage to EMS insertion was 10.5 days (4-25).ConclusionsThe stent can be safely inserted in a one-stage procedure without compromising the patient's quality of life. Therefore, one-stage insertion of EMS for malignant biliary stricture may be performed aggressively unless the patient has severe cholangitis.