Background: Malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) leads to malnutrition and limits quality of life. Gastrojejunostomy has been the traditional treatment for GOO. Recently, the results of releasing duodenal obstruction with self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) have been encouraging.
Methods: After the exclusion of 13 patients with gastrojejunal or jejunal strictures and 1 patient with intraabdominal lymphoma, the authors palliated the malignant GOO in 104 patients with 130 SEMS at a single center during the years 1999-2007.
Results: The GOO was caused by pancreatic (n = 51), gastric (n = 24), duodenal (n = 7), biliary (n = 5), and other (n = 17) malignancies. Of the 104 patients, 76 (73%) did well with only one enteral stent placement, 21 (20.2%) required two stent placements, 4 (3.8%) required three stent placements, and 1 required four stent placements. The median dysphagia score was 0 before stenting and 2 after treatment (p < 0.001). Immediate failure occurred after 10 procedures (7.7%). Among the 104 patients, 6 (5.8%) died of stent placement-related reasons. Complications occurred for 13 patients (12.5%). The median hospital stay was 3 days, and the overall survival time was 62 days (range, 1-933 days). Of 11 patients with concomitant biliary obstruction and GOO, 10 (91%) underwent successful enteral and biliary stent placement within the same session. Of 15 patients experiencing jaundice after enteral stent placement, 6 (40%) underwent endoscopic biliary drainage successfully.
Conclusion: Enteral stenting is a safe and effective way to treat GOO. Gastrojejunostomy should be preserved for cases in which endoscopic stenting is not successful or possible.