Afferent loop syndrome: treatment by means of the placement of dual stents

The purpose of this article is to assess the technical feasibility and clinical effectiveness of the placement of partially covered self-expandable dual stents in patients with afferent loop syndrome. Data from 13 consecutive patients who had undergone partially covered dual stent placement for afferent loop syndrome after various types of surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Nine patients underwent stent placement via the percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage tract, and four patients underwent placement via the peroral route. A total of 16 stents were used in this study (i.e., 15 dual stents and one fully covered esophageal stent). The route of stent insertion was determined on the basis of each patient's general condition, the site of obstruction, anatomic variations, and associated symptoms. Stent placement was technically successful in all patients. After stent placement, 12 of 13 patients experienced normalization of their abnormal biliary laboratory findings and decompression of the dilated bowel loop, whereas the remaining patient showed no change. This patient had to undergo the additional treatment of surgical jejunojejunostomy. No procedure-related complications occurred in any patients enrolled in this study. Placement of partially covered dual stents appears to be a promising technique that may offer successful palliation for patients who develop afferent loop syndrome after various types of surgery.