PROSPECTIVE AND RANDOMIZED COMPARISON OF PLASTIC AND METAL PROSTHESES

In a prospective, controlled and randomised fashion 42 patients (35 me n, 7 women, age 66,5 +/- 12,8) suffering from malignant dysphagia due to incurable cancer (39 esophageal carcinoma, 2 bronchial carcinoma, 1 pancreatic carcinoma) were treated either with intubation of a plasti c or metal endoprosthesis. The palliative effect of therapy in the mea ning of dysphagia reduction was comparable for both groups. There was a significant higher rate of early complications in the plastic endopr osthesis group (8 vs 0, p <0.01 with Fisher-test). A significant incre ase in quality of life, quantified with a patient activity score, was achieved only with metal stent insertion. It seems that the metal endo prosthesis is preferable to plastic endoprosthesis because of the lowe r rate of early complications and the positive effect on the quality o f life and with regard to the comparable improvement on dysphagia.