[Benign bile duct stenosis--conservative management as long as possible?].

The clinical course of 37 patients (15 female, 22 male) treated endoscopically for benign biliary stenosis was analyzed retrospectively. Patients with chronic pancreatitis (n = 20) were compared to those (n = 17) with biliary stenosis due to other reasons, postoperative strictures in most cases. Each patient received at least one 10- or 11.5-French endoprosthesis. The liver enzyme and serum bilirubin levels returned to normal or slightly elevated levels. The average time until exchange or extraction of the prosthesis was 11.4 (range 2 to 33) months in patients with chronic pancreatitis and 5.1 (0.5 to 21) months in patients with postoperative strictures. The therapy was completed by extraction of prosthesis in six patients with chronic pancreatitis (30%) and in 14 patients with stenosis due other reasons (82.3%). None of the patients died of complications related to endoscopic therapy.