FIGURE 2.

The numbers of endoscopic retrograde cholangiographies (ERCs) for the two groups, at 3‐month intervals, and the Kaplan–Meier curves showing the stent patency rates.

(a) The numbers of ERCs for the two groups at three‐monthly intervals. Three patients in each group underwent strategic replacement without stent dysfunction within a year (p = 0.66). (b) After the first endoscopic biliary stenting (EBS), the Kaplan–Meier curves show the stent patency rates of the inside stents (IS) and plastic stents (PS) groups. The period of stent patency was significantly longer for the IS group, with the median period of stent patency being 369 days.