Efficacy of Metal Stents Versus Plastic Stents for Treatment of Walled-Off Pancreatic Necrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Walled-off necrosis (WON) is a potentially fatal condition best treated endoscopically with metal or plastic stents. This study compares the clinical outcomes of these stents.

METHODS

PubMed and Cochrane were searched for trials comparing metal and plastic stents for WON. Primary outcomes were clinical and technical success.

RESULTS

Seven studies with 230 metal stent patients and 226 plastic stent patients were included. Metal stents showed significantly shorter procedure times (SMD -0.80, 95% CI: -1.25 to -0.34), better 4-week clinical success (OR 1.94, 95% CI: 1.00 to 3.77), and higher procedure costs (SMD 1.38, 95% CI: 0.56 to 2.20). No significant differences were observed in hospital stay (SMD -0.05, 95% CI: -0.35 to 0.25), technical success (OR 1.45, 95% CI: 0.22 to 9.43), clinical success (OR 1.13, 95% CI: 0.54 to 2.39), interventions (SMD -0.02, 95% CI: -0.34 to 0.29), need for necrosectomy (RR 1.10, 95% CI: 0.59 to 2.04), necrosectomy sessions (SMD 0.35, 95% CI: -0.42 to 1.11), need for percutaneous drainage (RR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.36 to 1.85), stent migration (RR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.29 to 2.66), bleeding (RR 0.97, 95% CI: 0.53 to 1.75), WON recurrence (RR 1.66, 95% CI: 0.70 to 3.92), treatment failure (death) (RR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.37 to 1.53), disconnected pancreatic duct (RR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.11), and total cost (SMD -0.02, 95% CI: -0.29 to 0.26).

CONCLUSION

Metal stents offer shorter procedure time and better 4-week clinical success, although at a higher cost, with most clinical outcomes showing no significant differences between stent types.