[Malignant obstructive jaundice: the role of percutaneous metallic stents].
OBJECTIVES: Efficiency evaluation of percutaneous metallic stents in palliative treatment of malignant biliary obstruction. METHODS: One hundred sixteen percutaneous metallic stents were implanted in 80 patients with malignant biliary obstruction. Thirty-five patients had hilar obstruction, 32 patients obstruction of the common bile duct and 12 patients obstruction of a bilioenteric anastomosis. RESULTS: Adequate biliary drainage was achieved in 79 patients. Early complications occurred in 23.75% of patients; 12.5% of patients died within 30 days. The procedure-related mortality rate was 5%; 18.75% of patients showed recurrent jaundice after an average of 175 days. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous metallic stents are an efficient means of treating malignant biliary strictures, particularly of upper biliary obstructions. However, this treatment has risks and limits that require careful patient recruitment.