The Role of Lumen Apposing Metal Stents in the Palliation of Distal Malignant Biliary Distal Obstruction

Abstract

Malignant biliary obstruction (DMBO) has been traditionally managed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). In the case of ERC failure, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PT-BD) has been widely utilized as a salvage procedure. However, over the last decade, endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) has gained increasing popularity, especially after the advent of electrocautery-enhanced lumen apposing metal stent devices (EC-LAMSs) which enable a one-step procedure, granting prevention of biliary leakage and minimizing occurrence of adverse events (AEs). In parallel, increasing evidence suggests a possible role of EUS-BD in the management of DMBO as a primary palliative drainage modality. In the current paper, we aim to review all the available evidence on the role of EUS-BD performed with EC-LAMSs and discuss salient technical aspects of this type of procedure.