Fluoroscopically-guided palliative stenting for the management of malignant oesophageal obstruction: A five year experience

Abstract

A B S T R A C TBackground: Dysphagia is often a sign of advanced malignant oesophageal disease with 90% of these patients requiring palliative intervention. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of patients treated for malignant obstruction with self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) over a five-year period. Methods: Data was collected retrospectively from patients undergoing SEMS from January 2006 to December 2010. Primary outcomes were operative details, complications, re-interventions, and mortality rates. Results: One hundred twenty procedures were performed on 109 patients without any immediate complications. Thirty-two patients developed early complications and 20 patients died within thirty days. Twelve patients had stent-related difficulties and 10 patients were re-stented for recurrent dysphagia. Median survival from SEMS procedure was 2.7 months with an actuarial survival of 21% at 6 months and 7% at 1 year. Conclusion: SEMS is an effective and safe method of palliation for patients with non-operable oesophageal cancer. Post procedural survival is short and palliative support should be initiated as soon as diagnosis is made.