DO PREOPERATIVE BILIARY STENTS INCREASE POST-PANCREATICODUODENECTOMY COMPLICATIONS?
T A Sohn, Charles J Yeo, J L Cameron, H A Pitt, K D Lillemoe, Johns Hopkins Med Inst, Baltimore, MD Background: It has been suggested that the placement of endoscopic or percutaneous biliary stents prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) increases postoperative morbidity. Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively collected PD database was performed. Patients undergoing preoperative biliary stenting were compared to those who were not stented. In addition, outcomes after endoscopic and percutaneous stenting were compared. Patients who had undergone operative biliary bypass prior to PD were excluded. Results: Between January 1994 and December 1997, 567 patients underwent PD without prior operative biliary bypass. Preoperative biliary stenting was performed in 408 patients (72%), while the remaining 159 patients (28%) did not undergo biliary stenting. For the stented group, 64% were stented via a percutaneous approach and 36% were stented endoscopically. The stented patients were o
