Are covered stents superior to uncovered stents in the management of malignant biliary obstruction?
Joseph Sung
Correspondence Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PRC
Email joesung@cuhk.edu.hk
This article has no abstract so we have provided the first paragraph of the full text.
Palliation of malignant biliary obstruction by endoscopic or transhepatic stenting is a well-established treatment. There is ample evidence to show that EMS are superior to plastic stents in maintaining biliary drainage because they reduce the need for subsequent interventions for stent failure or complications.1, 2 EMS, however, have one major pitfall, namely tumor ingrowth through the mesh of the metallic wire. Over the years, the concept of covering metal stents with membranes has been discussed but controversies exist, such as whether covered metal stents actually offer more durable biliary drainage and whether they lead to stent migration or complications.
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