Covered Metallic Stents for First-Line Treatment of Benign Bile Duct Strictures

The current standard of care for benign bile duct strictures involves placement of multiple plastic stents under endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance to progressively dilate or stretch it open. This approach necessitates multiple procedures which may extend over one year before the stricture is adequately dilated. The investigators propose a study comparing the standard approach of plastic stenting with the use of newer, fully coated metallic stents which are self-expandable, thereby permitting successful dilation of benign bile duct strictures with fewer procedures.