Self-expandable metallic stent with (125)I seed strand in malignant biliary obstruction: a self-made delivery system and novel implantation method

BACKGROUND: Malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ) has a low immediate surgery rate (10–20%) and a poor post-resection survival rate. Although several clinical results have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of stent placement combined with radioactive seeds, the existing implantation methods are time consuming and prone to error. In this study, we introduced a self-made delivery system and novel implantation method for a self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) with (125)I seed strand and evaluated its feasibility and efficacy in MOJ patients. METHODS: Our self-made delivery system was applied to 61 patients (39 males and 22 females, mean age 66.36±10.73 years) from October 2018 to June 2020 in our center with a novel implantation method. The preparation and manipulation processes were described in detail. Technical and clinical successes were recorded, and stent patency and overall survival (OS) were assessed. A P value of less than 0.05 indicated a significant difference. RESULTS: Stents with (125)I seed strands were successfully placed in all 61 participants with our novel implantation method. The clinical success rate was 96.7%, and no severe procedure-related complications were found except bile leakage through puncture in 1 participant. The median duration of primary stent patency was 120 (37, 233.5) days, and the median OS was 169 (41, 270) days. CONCLUSIONS: Our self-made delivery system with a novel SEMS implantation method with (125)I seed strand was feasible and effective for MOJ patients and significantly simplified the current implantation approach.