Tangled plastic biliary stents removed using a rendezvous method

Abstract

Biliary stents are used to facilitate the drainage of bile into the digestive tract, most often in the palliation of malignant biliary obstruction, but also in benign conditions such as biliary fistulas or benign biliary strictures. Temporary multiple double-pigtail biliary stenting is a safe method for treating large, difficult common bile duct (CBD) stones in elderly patients; it helps reduce stone size and facilitates successful duct clearance. We report a new technique for retrieving two tangled plastic biliary stents using rendezvous endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage.