Innovative Upper Gastrointestinal Stenting: Reboring the Blocked Path

Abstract

Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) have been established beyond doubt as an effective tool in the palliative management of malignant gastrointestinal tract strictures. The advent of fully covered retrievable SEMS has allowed its use in benign oesophageal strictures and gastric outlet obstruction, which are traditionally treated with balloon or bougie dilation. Although balloon and bougie dilations are effective, strictures may be refractory, requiring repeated sessions of dilation or complex surgeries. Endoluminal stenting spares the patient from complex surgical procedures and their associated complications. Here, the authors present four cases wherein fully covered SEMS were used as an effective therapy for the restoration of the gastrointestinal lumen in non-malignant conditions.