Endoprosthetic insertion for malignant obstructive jaundice: a retrospective review.

We reviewed 13 cases of biliary endoprosthetic insertion for malignant obstructive jaundice from August 1983 to May 1987, and recorded (1) location and etiology of the obstruction, (2) length of time the endoprosthesis remained functional, and (3) complications related to the endoprosthesis, its insertion, or its long-term function. Of the 13 patients, 3 had pancreatic carcinoma, 3 had cholangiocarcinoma, and 3 had metastatic disease to the porta hepatis. The underlying malignancy was not histologically proved in four patients despite evidence of neoplasm by percutaneous cholangiography and computerized tomography. These four patients were not considered good surgical risks and were referred for percutaneous therapy. The longest endoprosthetic patency was 3.5 years. Three patients experienced obstruction of the endoprosthesis at 3, 4, and 9 months after insertion, respectively. Two of the endoprostheses were subsequently removed endoscopically, while the third was extracted through a new percutaneous tract with use of a balloon angioplasty catheter. Complications related to endoprosthetic insertion included bilous hydro pneumothorax (1 patient), subcutaneous and subcapsular liver abscess (1 patient), postinsertion cholangitis (4 patients), and reflex ileus (1 patient).