TY - JOUR AU1 - Chun, Hoon Jai AU2 - Kim, Eun Sun AU3 - Hyun, Jong Jin AU4 - Kwon, Yong Dae AU5 - Keum, Bora AU6 - Kim, Chang Duck AB - Advances in stent design have led to a substantial increase in the use of stents for a variety of malignant and benign strictures in the gastrointestinal tract and biliary system. Whereas early stents were mostly composed of plastic, the majority of contemporary stents are self‐expanding metal stents that are composed of either nitinol or stainless steel. These stents are able to exert an adequate expansile force and, at the same time, are highly flexible and biocompatible. Covered stents have been introduced to minimize tumor ingrowth through the metal mesh but are associated with higher rates for spontaneous migration. This has led to the development of covered stents with uncovered ends and stents with both covered and uncovered layers. Drug‐eluting and biodegradable stents are also likely to become available in the near future. Although stents appear to be the preferred form of palliation for some patients with advanced cancer, many patients will benefit from a multidisciplinary approach that usually includes surgeons and oncologists. TI - Gastrointestinal and biliary stents JF - Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology DO - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.06152.x DA - 2010-02-01 UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/gastrointestinal-and-biliary-stents-CaqkgT6bOW SP - 234 VL - 25 IS - 2 DP - DeepDyve ER -