The most common biliary complication after liver transplantation is anastomotic stricture (AS) and it can occur isolated or in combination with other complications. Liver graft from a cadaveric donor or a living donor has an influence on the incidence of biliary strictures as well as on the response to endoscopic treatment. Endoscopic treatment using balloon dilation and insertion of biliary stents by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the initial approach to these complications.
Aim: The aim of this article is to compare different endoscopic techniques to treat post-liver transplantation biliary strictures.
Methods: The search was carried out on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scielo-LILACS and Cochrane Library databases through June 2015. A total of 1100 articles were retrieved. Ten clinical trials were analyzed, and seven were included in the meta-analysis.
Conclusions: The endoscopic treatment of AS was equally effective when compared the use of fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMS) vs. plastic stents, but the use of FCSEMS was associated with a lower complication risk. The treatment of AS with balloon dilation or balloon dilation associated with plastic stents presented similar results. Deceased donor liver transplantation reduced the risk of biliary stenosis and the endoscopic treatment in these patients was more effective when compared with Living donor liver transplantation.
Keywords: Biliary strictures; ERCP; anastomotic stricture; metal stents; post-liver transplant biliary strictures.