Endoscopic Plastic Pigtail Stents for Leak after Bariatric Surgery: Effective as Primary and Rescue Therapy

Abstract

Bariatric procedures are increasingly being performed to manage obesity. Postoperative leak is one of the serious complications after bariatric surgery. The management of leaks includes surgery and endoscopic interventions. Endoscopic interventions are less invasive and have shown good efficacy in treating leaks. This includes placement of stents (plastic or metal) or closure of leak by stitching or clipping. Among these, internal drainage by placement of plastic stents is probably the least expensive intervention. In this case series, we show the effectiveness of plastic stents in the management of postbariatric surgery leak in three different scenarios – early postoperative leak, delayed postoperative leak, and prior failed metal stent for treatment of leak.