Placement of a new non-foreshortening nitinol enteral stent is safe and without major complications. This stent design produces significant relief of obstructive symptoms and improves quality of life in patients with incurable malignant GOO.

In patients with a benign esophageal perforation, temporary stent therapy is effective and provides a good alternative to surgery. Complications due to stent removal can be prevented by removal of the prosthesis within 6 weeks after insertion, without compromising the efficacy of treatment.

The aim of this study was to test the removability of fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMS) in patients with a benign common bile duct (CBD) stricture. A FCSEMS was inserted in six patients with a CBD stricture due to chronic pancreatitis who were considered to be unfit for surgery, and stent removal was attempted after predefined intervals of 4 and 6 months. FCSEMS were successfully placed in all patients (100 % placement success) and stent extraction was accomplished in four patients (66 % removal rate), all of whom achieved stricture resolution (66 % resolution rate). In one patient a recurrent stenosis developed after 6 months (recurrence rate 25 %). Proximal stent migration occurred in two patients. In conclusion, FCSEMS removal was possible in the majority of patients and results regarding stricture dilation were promising. Nevertheless, before FCSEMS can become an acceptable treatment option for benign CBD strictures, innovative stent design modifications are necessary and removability must be ascertained.

The same clogging events occurred in both PE and HCPC stents. The most remarkable observation was the identification of networks of large dietary fibers, resulting from duodenal reflux, acting as a filter. The build-up of this intraluminal framework of dietary fibers appears to be a major factor contributing to the multifactorial process of stent clogging.