Efficacy and safety of a fully covered self-expandable metallic stent equipped with square flare in EUS-guided drainage/anastomosis: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background and Objectives: Recent technological advances in interventional EUS have improved EUS-guided drainage/anastomosis (EUS-D/A), yet challenges remain. This study evaluated the safety and feasibility of a square flare fully covered self-expandable metallic stent (SF-FCSEMS) with anti-migration properties for EUS-D/A. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed at 2 academic centers and analyzed patients who underwent SF-FCSEMS placement for EUS-D/A from April 2015 to November 2022. We have used an SF-FCSEMS that has a square flare at both ends that is 4 mm larger in diameter than the stent body, providing an anti-migration effect. Results: Thirty-six patients (median age: 74 years), 41.6% male, were included. Malignancies accounted for 83.3%. Among the EUS-D/A procedure types, EUS-abscess drainage was performed in 52.8%, EUS-guided gallbladder drainage in 30.6%, and EUS-guided abscess drainage in 16.7%. The technical success rate was 97.2%, and the clinical success rate was 97.1%. The median procedure time was 36 minutes, with puncture tract dilation conducted in all cases. Adverse events occurred in 11.1%; recurrent symptoms were observed in 11.8%, with no migration. SF-FCSEMS removal was performed in 26.5% of patients during the follow-up period, with a median duration of 154 days. The total cost of deploying SF-FCSEMS was approximately 40% less than that of using lumen apposing metal stent. Conclusions: EUS-D/A with an SF-FCSEMS, which has anti-migration properties, not only was effective and feasible in the present study but also demonstrated a cost advantage.