Treatment of biliary strictures with fully covered self-expandable metal stents after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Anastomotic stricture is a late complication after biliary reconstructive surgery, but standard treatments are currently lacking. We selected patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy and Child's procedure, and aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of temporary placement of fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMSs) to treat postoperative anastomotic stricture.  This study retrospectively analyzed 13 patients who underwent treatment with FCSEMSs for anastomotic stricture between June 2011 and March 2016. We evaluated technical and clinical success, complications, duration of patency after FCSEMS removal, and re-stenosis.  All of the anastomotic strictures were improved by FCSEMS placement and luminal patency was maintained throughout the follow-up period, with no complications. After 2 months, the FCSEMSs were removed endoscopically in nine patients, and in four patients the stent had been expelled spontaneously per rectum. Median duration of follow-up was 225 days (range 30 - 935 days). No re-stenosis occurred in any of the 13 cases following stent removal. Deployment of FCSEMSs for anastomotic stricture offers a safe and promising treatment that may replace percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and deployment of multiple plastic stents as the first-line treatment.