The Use of Self-Expanding Plastic Stents in the Management of Oesophageal Leaks and Spontaneous Oesophageal Perforations

Table 1

Summary of the literature regarding Polyflex stents and anastomotic leakage.

Reference	Study	Patients	Leak site	Stent	Timing after diagnosis	Placement success	Immediate leak occlusion	% healing	Complications	Outcome
Gelbmann [15]	Case series	5	OG anastomosis	Plastic	13–65 days (too unwell for surgery)	100%	60% 40% ↓ leakage	80%		20% mortality (multiorgan failure) 10% further stent
Hunerbein [16]	Stent versus conservative	199 stent 10 no stent	OG anastomosis	Plastic	Immediate (2-3 days)	100%	90%	100%	None	Stent group: earlier oral intake, shorter hospital stay, and 0% mortality
Langer [17]	Case series	20	OG and OJ anastomosis	Plastic	Immediate	90%	85%	90%	Stent misplacement in 10% increased dehiscence and required surgery	Stent migration and dislocation 10%
Schubert [18]	Case series	12	OG anastomosis	Plastic	Immediate	100%	92%	92%	Stent migration 17%	All healed One persistent leak closed with endoclip
Repici [19]	Case report	1	OJ anastomosis	Plastic	Delayed—persistent fistula (39 days)	100%	100%	100%	None	Stent removed 3 weeks Well
Dai [7]	Case series	22	OG anastomosis	Plastic	Immediate (2.5 days)	100%	95%	95%	23% migration	5% thoracotomy for persistent leak 5% mortality 5% dilatation of anastomotic stricture