Background: Endoscopic biliary stenting (EBS) using a plastic stent is currently widely performed for preoperative biliary drainage for periampullary cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors and surgical outcomes of stent dysfunction after EBS in patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Patients and Methods: The subjects were 85 patients who underwent PD after EBS using a plastic stent for malignant biliary obstruction between November 2008 and January 2019. We retrospectively investigated the relationship between perioperative patient characteristics and the incidence of stent dysfunction. Stent dysfunction was defined as insufficient biliary drainage and the presence of various symptoms, including high fever and abdominal pain, with elevated serum hepatobiliary enzyme levels or bilirubin level. Results: Stent dysfunction occurred in 38% of patients. In univariate analysis, serum total bilirubin before the initial EBS ≥15 mg/dL (P = .0244) and a stent diameter of 7 Fr (P = .0044) were significant predictors of stent dysfunction. In multivariate analysis, the only significant independent predictor of stent dysfunction was a stent diameter of 7 Fr (P = .0227). In the patients without stent dysfunction, duration from the initial EBS to the operation was significantly shorter than that in the patients with stent dysfunction (P = .0055). Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pancreatic fistula, and bile leakage were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: Seven French stent was the significant independent predictor of stent dysfunction after EBS in patients who underwent PD.
Keywords: endoscopic biliary stenting; pancreaticoduodenectomy; stent dysfunction.