[Gastrojejunostomy versus endoscopic stent placement as palliative treatment of malignant stenosis of the duodenum: overview of advantages and disadvantages on the basis of a literature study].

OBJECTIVE

To compare the results of stent placement and gastrojejunostomy in patients with malignant gastric outlet obstruction. Design. Systematic review.

METHOD

PubMed was searched for relevant articles from January 1996 to January 2006 and further articles were obtained from their reference lists. Using results from these publications, average study scores for improvement of oral intake, complications, survival and costs were calculated. Results from randomized and comparative studies were pooled and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for improvement oforal intake and complications were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 44 publications were identified, including 2 randomized trials and 6 comparative studies. Information on study outcomes was not available in all publications. Long-term effectiveness was higher after gastrojejunostomy than after stent placement, with only 1% of patients needing a reintervention after gastrojejunostomy; more patients developed minor complications after gastrojejunostomy (33%) and the post-operative hospital stay was on average 13 days longer. After stent placement obstructive symptoms were relieved in 89% of patients and this effect was observed to occur more quickly after placement (within 0-2 days). More patients (approximately 20%) required a reintervention after stent placement due to stent migration or obstruction.

CONCLUSION

Stent placement appeared to have favourable short-term results and gastrojejunostomy was associated with better long-term results. Well-performed clinical trials with an adequate number of patients were not found, which precluded more solid conclusions.