Topic Highlight
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 21, 2014; 20(43): 16020-16028
Published online Nov 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i43.16020
Colorectal stenting: An advanced approach to malignant colorectal obstruction
Sung Pil Hong, Tae Il Kim
Sung Pil Hong, Tae Il Kim, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752, South Korea
Author contributions: Hong SP and Kim TI designed and wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Tae Il Kim, MD, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yensei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, South Korea. taeilkim@yuhs.ac
Telephone: +82-2-22281965 Fax: +82-2-3936884
Received: April 8, 2014
Revised: June 12, 2014
Accepted: July 11, 2014
Published online: November 21, 2014
Processing time: 214 Days and 16.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Accumulating evidence has supported the clinical efficacy of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) placement in patients with malignant colorectal obstruction. As a bridge to surgery or a palliative measure, SEMS placement achieves significantly more beneficial short-term outcomes to relieve obstructive symptoms compared with emergent surgery. Furthermore, SEMS placement can avoid emergent surgery with stoma creation, which increases perioperative morbidity and mortality. However, the negative results of SEMS placements found in recent randomized controlled trials should not be overlooked. For successful outcomes of SEMS placement, the cause of bowel obstruction, purpose of intervention, life expectancy, medical condition, and endoscopic skill should be considered with careful examination on patient status.