The Use of Gastrointestinal Stents is on The Rise to Treat Obstructions of the GI Tract Caused by Malignancies

Gastrointestinal Stents

Gastrointestinal Stents have been created to relieve obstructive symptoms in a variety of disorders that cause GI tract obstruction. Endoscopic stent insertion has replaced fluoroscopy-guided stent insertion, and self-expanding metal stent (SEMS) has replaced the old type of plastic stent. Nowadays, new SEMSs have been created to prevent issues including stent migration and re-obstruction, and stent indications have recently been expanded to include both benign and malignant obstruction. The types, methods of insertion, indications, and clinical outcomes of stents in the upper GI tract.

In patients with inoperable esophageal, stomach, duodenal, and pancreatic cancers, as well as direct invasion of other cancers into the upper GI tract, upper GI blockage is a preterminal occurrence. Malnutrition and a lower quality of life during a patient's remaining years are caused by insufficient food consumption. Surgical bypass has long been the standard palliative treatment, but it has drawbacks such as invasiveness, high complication rates, high expense, and a lengthier hospital stay.

A Gastrointestinal Stents Market was created to relieve obstructive symptoms caused by a cancerous obstruction of the GI tract. Although plastic stents were initially utilized to treat malignant GI blockage, they had a number of drawbacks, including difficulties in insertion, a high complication rate, and poor patient compliance. Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) were developed in the 1990s and quickly replaced the old plastic stent due to their ease of insertion, lower complication rate, and improved compliance. With today's advanced technology, new types of SEMSs have been developed to prevent typical issues including stent migration and re-obstruction, as well as to maintain extended patency. In addition, the upper GI stent's indications have been expanded to include both benign and malignant blockage.

The presence of a covered membrane, metal materials, and attachments can all be used to classify upper Gastrointestinal Stents. Covered stents, both fully and partially covered, are beneficial in reducing the likelihood of re-obstruction, although they are limited by a higher rate of migration. 1 Tumor in-growth in an uncovered stent causes re-obstruction, when the embedded tumour tissue develops through the metal meshwork of the stent. Even with covered stents, tumour overgrowth can occur due to tumour development at both ends of the stent, as well as tumour in-growth due to membrane degradation over time.