Pallative Duodenal Stent

This 74 yr old man with advanced dementia had previously undergone gastrectomy secondary to adenocarcinoma, a small remanant stomach was left. He had poor prognosis node positive disease. Over the intervening years his dementia worsened and he represented with poor oral intake and marked weight loss late in 2005. At endoscopy he had a remnant stomach with a stricture across the pseudo-pylorus - this was unable to be crossed with the endoscope. It was felt that he was not a surgical candidate and this attempt to place a palliative stent was made. With great difficultly the stricture was crossed with a guidewire, a balloon cathether marked the distal end of the stricture. A Wallflex (Boston Scientific) stent was placed across this area (of presumed recurrent adenocarcinoma) with excellent result.