The Outcome of Endoscopic Biliary Drainage with Plastic Stents for Irretrievable Common Bile Duct Stones.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) using a plastic stent has been proposed for the management of choledocholithiasis when there is difficulty with stone extraction. We investigated the long-term effects and complications of EBD with using a plastic stent in the elderly or high risk patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones. Methods: From January 2000 to June 2004, thirty-one patients with CBD stones underwent EBD with using plastic stents (17 women and 14 men, mean age: 75.2 years). Results: Biliary drainage was successful in all patients. As for the early complications, only minor hemorrhage with no requirement of transfusion occurred in 2 patients. Twelve patients (38.7%) had late complications of EBD. Six of them had cholangitis, five had biliary colics and one had nausea. Of the six patients with cholangitis, three were managed with stent exchange and one was managed by removal of the stent. The remaining two patients died from stent-related sepsis. The mean symptom-free duration was 39.9 months. Conclusions: For the elderly or high risk patients who undergo an operation, EBD proved to be a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of patients with irretrievable bile duct stones.