Background and objective: Self-expanding metal stents are being increasingly used to resolve malignant colonic obstruction. Subsequently, patients can either undergo elective surgery, or the stent can serve as a definitive palliative treatment in patients unfit for surgery. We present our experience with this technique in our hospital, a level II center within the Spanish National Health Service, which can be considered a community hospital.
Patients and methods: A retrospective study was performed of a 42-month period (May 2002 to October 2005), during which malignant colonic obstruction was treated by means of endoscopically inserted stents on 43 occasions in 40 patients.
Results: Stent insertion was successfully performed in 41 attempts (95%) and good clinical results were obtained on 37 occasions (86%). Endoscopic means alone were used on 23 occasions (53.5%) and in the remaining 20 (46.5%), both endoscopy and fluoroscopy were employed. Of 38 patients with successfully inserted stents, clinical success was achieved, as a whole, in 34. Twenty-four of these patients (63%) subsequently underwent elective surgery while the stent served as a definitive palliative treatment in the remaining 14 (37%). One of these patients had to undergo further surgery due to a fistula between the colon and the bladder. There were eight other complications: three stent migrations and one stent obstruction occurred, two patients had tenesmus, one patient developed bacteremia after stent insertion, and a silent bowel perforation by the stent was found in an elective surgical procedure. There was no mortality.
Conclusions: In our experience, endoscopically inserted stents seem to be a safe and effective method for the initial treatment of malignant colonic obstruction.