BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS
Biliary plastic stents are highly effective in the treatment of malignant biliary obstruction, but may become occluded over time, leading to jaundice and cholangitis. Stent occlusion is thought to be caused by bacterial adhesion and formation of biofilm. This study was carried out to assess whether treatment with ofloxacin in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid is superior to ursodeoxycholic acid alone in preventing stent occlusion.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients with obstructive jaundice due to inoperable malignant disease underwent placement of a straight 11.5-Fr polyethylene stent. After stent insertion, the patients were randomly assigned to receive either ofloxacin (200 mg b.i.d.) with ursodeoxycholic acid (250 mg t.i.d.) or ursodeoxycholic acid alone. The end points of the study were the frequency of stent occlusions, the time to stent occlusion, and the safety of the two regimens.
RESULTS
Fifty-two patients were enrolled, of whom 26 were assigned to the combined therapy group and 26 to the control group. Thirty patients were suffering from pancreatic cancer, 13 from gallbladder or bile duct cancer, and nine had metastases from other malignant tumors. Eight stent occlusions (31%) occurred in the ofloxacin group and six (23 %) in the control group (P = 0.76). The mean times to stent occlusion were 95 +/- 9 days and 101 +/- 9 days, respectively (P = 0.91). No significant differences regarding survival time or safety were observed between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Ofloxacin in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid is not superior to ursodeoxycholic acid alone in preventing stent occlusion in patients with malignant obstructive jaundice.