Abandonment of endoprosthetic drainage technique in malignant biliary obstruction.

This report discusses a 3-year experience with the techniques of internal/external catheter and endoprosthetic stent drainage in 175 patients with obstructive jaundice. In 166 patients, the obstruction was bypassed satisfactorily. The complications encountered with these techniques are compared, and the radiation doses involved are emphasized. It is not necessary to put patients through the extra time and pain related to the placement of the endoprosthesis, because internal/external catheter placement produces the same desired result of biliary decompression without the higher radiation doses to the radiologist.