Biliary stenting

Abstract

Endoscopic stenting is one of the most valuable and versatile tools for managing pancreato-biliary disorders. Main indications for biliary stent insertion include malignant and benign biliary obstruction and postsurgical biliary leaks, and it can play an ancillary role in difficult common bile duct stone management. In this chapter technical features, material, and design of currently available biliary stents will be discussed. Current literature on safety and efficacy of various types of stents will be briefly reviewed. Then, a detailed description on biliary stent insertion and deployment techniques will be provided in two separate sections for plastic stents and self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs), respectively. Lastly, multiple stent insertion techniques will be described.