• Charles Edouard Zurstrassen, Aline Cristine Barbosa Santos, Chiang Jeng Tyng, João Paulo Matushita, Felipe Jose Coimbra, Alessandro Landskron Diniz, Heber Salvador Ribeiro, Wilson Luiz Costa, and Daniel Cunha Lima.
• Interventional Radiology Department, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center , Sao Paulo, SP , Brazil.
• Minim Invasive Ther Allied Technol. 2014 Dec 1; 23 (6): 366-73.

IntroductionPlacement of self-expanding metallic stents has been a standard palliative treatment for patients with inoperable biliary malignancy, aiming at improving quality of life via a minimally invasive procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous placement of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene/fluorinated ethylene propylene-covered metallic stents for palliation of inoperable biliary malignancy.Material And MethodsBetween February 2012 and April 2013, 11 patients with inoperable malignant biliary obstruction were treated with stent implantation. Serum bilirubin and liver enzyme levels were measured before/immediately after stent placement and at one, three, and six months. Patient survival and stent patency were calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis.ResultsNo migration occurred. Patients showed clinical improvement immediately and one month after stent placement, with a significant reduction in mean serum bilirubin level (p < 0.05). At six months, bilirubin levels were <1.5 mg/dL in all cases. One patient developed acute liver failure four days after stent implantation, leading to death. Survival rates were 90% at three months and 70% at six months. Primary patency rates were 100%, 100%, and 90% at one, three, and six months, respectively.ConclusionPercutaneous placement of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene/fluorinated ethylene propylene-covered metallic stents offered an effective palliative therapy for patients with inoperable biliary malignancy.

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