title: A multicenter prospective study of the short-term outcome of a newly developed partially covered self-expandable metallic biliary stent (WallFlex(®)).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement is a widely used, effective therapy for unresectable malignant stricture of the lower bile duct.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the short-term outcome of the newly developed WallFlex(®) Biliary RX Partially Covered Stent in patients with malignant lower and middle biliary stricture in five tertiary referral centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects of this study were 52 patients in whom WallFlex(®) Biliary RX Stents were inserted into the bile duct for malignant stenosis of the middle and lower bile duct at five medical facilities between April 2009 and November 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The stent placement success rate was 100%. Effective biliary decompression was achieved in all patients. The incidence of early complications was 7.7% (4/52). Stent occlusion occurred in two patients (3.8%) (one dislocation, one migration); cholecystitis occurred in two patients (3.8%). Neither acute pancreatitis nor stent kinking in the bile duct occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results revealed that the new WallFlex(®) Biliary RX Partially Covered SEMSs were useful for the short-term relief of biliary obstruction due to unresectable distal biliary malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan. tsuchiya@tokyo-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itoi
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gotoda
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuraoka
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sofuni
authors.forename: Fumihide
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Itokawa
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Shujiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Nobuhito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ikeuchi
authors.forename: Reina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Fuminori
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moriyasu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents