Gut perforation caused by biliary endoprosthesis

Two cases are reported of perforation of the gut caused by biliary endopros thesies in the three-year period 1993-1995. The first patient was an 81-yea r-old man who had perforation of the terminal ileum caused by a straight 10 French/7 cm stent which had been dislodged from the bile duct; he underwen t laparotomy but did not recover. The second patient was an 86-year-old man who had perforation of the sigmoid colon caused by a straight 7 French/5 c m stent left in the duodenum during a stent exchange procedure; he was succ essfully treated laparoscopically. Two cases of gut perforation in a three- year period is a rather high rate of this rare complication of placement of biliary endoprostheses.