Future developments in biliary stenting

Abstract

Clark D Hair,1 Divyesh V Sejpal21Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 2Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY, USAAbstract: Biliary stenting has evolved dramatically over the past 30 years. Advancements in stent design have led to prolonged patency and improved efficacy. However, biliary stenting is still affected by occlusion, migration, anatomical difficulties, and the need for repeat procedures. Multiple novel plastic biliary stent designs have recently been introduced with the primary goals of reduced migration and improved ease of placement. Self-expandable bioabsorbable stents are currently being investigated in animal models. Although not US Food and Drug Administration approved for benign disease, fully covered self-expandable metal stents are increasingly being used in a variety of benign biliary conditions. In malignant disease, developments are being made to improve ease of placement and stent patency for both hilar and distal biliary strictures. The purpose of this review is to describe recent developments and future directions of biliary stenting.Keywords: plastic stents, self-expandable metal stents, drug eluting stents, bioabsorbable stents, malignant biliary strictures, benign biliary strictures