Upper Gastrointestinal Stent Placement: 8 Years’ Experience of a Single Institution

Özet

Introduction: Coated and uncoated self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) are increasingly used in the palliation of malignant and benign strictures in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract and in the treatment of postoperative anastomotic leakage and fistulas. The objective of this study was to share the experience of one clinic with upper gastrointestinal tract stent placement. Methods: Patients who underwent upper GI tract SEMS placement between 2009 and 2017 were identified, and patient charts were retrospectively reviewed. The details of patient demographic data, stent type, indication for stent placement, success of stenting, need for stent replacement, morbidity, and mortality were documented. Results: In total, there were 29 patients with a median age of 57.5 years (min-max: 32-80 years), and 58.62% were male. There were benign problems in 9 patients. Nine (45%) of the patients with malignancy had esophageal carcinoma, while the remainder (55%) had gastric or esophagogastric junction carcinoma. Indications for stent placement were anastomotic leak (41.37%), esophageal stricture (37.94%), leak after obesity surgery (10.35%), esophageal perforation (6.89%), and tracheoesophageal fistula (3.45%). Discussion and Conclusion: SEMS placement is an effective, safe, and minimally invasive method for the palliation of upper GI tract strictures and the treatment of surgical complications. In this series, the mortality rate in patients who underwent SEMS placement for the treatment of anastomotic leak was high.