A Unique Use of a Double-Pigtail Plastic Stent: Correction of Kinking of the Common Bile Duct Due to a Metal Stent

A 72-year-old man with jaundice by ampullary adenocarcinoma was treated at our hospital. For biliary decompression, a transpapillary, fully covered, self-expandable metal stent (FCSEMS) was deployed. Four days later, the patient developed acute cholangitis. Endoscopic carbon dioxide cholangiography revealed kinking of the common bile duct above the proximal end of the FCSEMS. A 7-F double-pigtail plastic stent was therefore placed through the FCSEMS to correct the kink, straightening the common bile duct (CBD) and improving cholangitis. This is the first report of a unique use of a double-pigtail plastic stent to correct CBD kinking. The placement of a double-pigtail plastic stent can correct CBD kinking, without requiring replacement or addition of a FCSEMS, and can lead to cost savings.