Table 1.
Patient and Stricture Characteristics
| Variable | Multiple Plastic Stents (n = 55) | cSEMS (n = 57) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 56.7 (11) | 54.5 (10.4) |
| Women, No. (%) | 17 (30.9) | 19 (33.3) |
| American Society of Anesthesiology class ≥3, No. (%)a | 42 (76.4) | 39 (68.4) |
| Karnofsky performance status, mean (SD) | 79.3 (12.7) | 78.9 (12.6) |
| Etiology of stricture, No. (%) | ||
| Postorthotopic liver transplant | 36 (65.5) | 37 (64.9) |
| Time since transplant, median (range), mo | 4 (1–96) | 3 (1–44) |
| Chronic pancreatitis | 17 (30.9) | 18 (31.6) |
| Other postoperative injury | 2 (3.6) | 2 (3.5) |
| Stricture characteristics, median (range) | ||
| Distance of top of stricture to the hepatic confluence, mm | 34 (1–85) | 36 (2.36–86) |
| Diameter of duct upstream of stricture, mm | 11 (5.7–13.0) | 10 (6–18) |
| Diameter of duct downstream of stricture, mm | 8 (5.0–8.5) | 7 (0–13.7) |
| Stricture length, mm | 5 (0.7–38) | 4 (1–32) |
| Previous cholecystectomy, No. (%) | 42 (76.4) | 43 (75.4) |
| Previous single plastic stent in place, No. (%) | 16 (29.1) | 23 (40.4) |
| Total bilirubin, median (range), mg/dL | 1.2 (0.4–20.7) | 1.4 (0.4–17.4) |
| Alkaline phosphatase, median (range), IU/L | 317 (52–1027) | 240 (14–1615) |
Abbreviations: cSEMS, fully covered, self-expandable metallic stent.
SI conversion factors: To convert bilirubin to μmol/L, multiply by 17.104; alkaline phosphatase to μkat/L, multiply by 0.0167.
a
American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) class ranges from 1 to 6; 1 represents a normal, healthy patient and 6 a brain dead organ donor. ASA class 3 denotes a patient with systemic disease that is not currently incapacitating.