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CompletedNCT01514214Updated May 2, 2018

Winged Perimeter Versus Traditional Plastic Biliary Stent for Malignant Bile Duct Obstruction

An interventional study of WInged perimeter biliary stent insertion (Viaduct) and traditional polyethylene stent insertion (Cotton Huibregtse) in Malignant Tumor of Extrahepatic Bile Duct, sponsored by University of British Columbia. Completed at 2 sites in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-05-02.

Sponsored by University of British Columbia · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
58
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Strictures in the bile duct cause a blockage of flow of bile. This leads to potential problems including jaundice, itch and infection in the bile duct. The usual first step in this situation would be to allow flow of bile by placing a stent across the stricture. This is usually done by a special type of endoscopy procedure called an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP.

The most commonly used stent are made from a plastic material called polyethylene and has a central lumen in which bile drains through it. Health Canada has approved the sale and use of another stent with a winged perimeter (the VIADUCT stent) for placement in bile duct strictures and is used routinely in our hospitals. However, the investigators do not know which stent is better at treating bile duct strictures. In order to determine which stent would be more useful, the VIADUCT stent and the usual polyethylene flanged stent must be studied under carefully controlled circumstances. This will be done by a randomized, subject-blinded study. Other trials in the past have looked at other stents in this way, but this is the first time the VIADUCT stent has been looked at in this manner. The investigators suspect that the design of the VIADUCT stent will allow it to work for a longer period of time compared to the traditional polyethylene stent.

Read the detailed description

Biliary obstruction usually presents with jaundice, pruritis, cholangitis, and steatorrhoea. Strictures which are a common cause of biliary obstruction, may be secondary to benign or malignant conditions. Common benign conditions include chronic pancreatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune pancreatitis, prior surgery and recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. Cholangiocarcinomas, ampullary and pancreatic tumours are more common causes of malignant biliary obstruction.

The principles of managing biliary strictures are to determine the underlying cause of the stricture, whilst achieving drainage of the biliary tree, initially with the placement of a plastic stent via an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Strictures are sampled using biliary brush cytology and/or biliary biopsy to assess for underlying malignancy. Malignant strictures are usually staged for resectability with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and/or endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

The Viaduct stent (GI Supply, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, USA) is a unique stent design and has a winged perimeter, which channels flow of bile around the stent, rather than through a central lumen. Theoretically this may enhance flow and biliary drainage, and prevent obstruction. Both polyethylene and Viaduct plastic stents are approved for use by Health Canada for benign and malignant biliary conditions. It is not known whether one stent is superior to the other in maintaining symptomatic relief from bile duct strictures as there have been no studies to date comparing the two stents.

There is limited published data on the Viaduct stent. A pilot study of the winged stent design was published in 2006. Five patients had winged stents inserted and followed for 2 weeks. The were no problems with stent insertion and symptoms of obstruction and jaundice improved over this time. One study published in abstract form retrospectively compared 34 Viaduct stents matched with 240 "conventional" stents over a five year period. There was no statistical difference with stent dysfunction, and a trend towards patency with the Viaduct stent.

The primary aim of this study is to compare the stent patency time in the Viaduct and polyethylene stent groups in subjects with malignant bile duct strictures. The secondary aims are to determine the etiology of stent failure in the two treatment groups, to identify and compare device-related adverse events in the two treatment groups, to identify other patient factors associated with stent failure, and to compare survival between the Viaduct and polyethylene stent groups.

02

Conditions studied

  • Malignant Tumor of Extrahepatic Bile Duct

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Keywords

  • ERCP
  • biliary stricture
  • viaduct
  • cancer
03

In context

Neoplasms

9,365 studies on the registry are indexed under Neoplasms; 2,489 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 58 is above the median of 50 across 7,253 interventional studies indexed under Neoplasms.

Browse Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

University of British Columbia is the lead sponsor of 1,309 studies on the registry; 253 are open to participants now.

Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 1 (17%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • > 18 years of age
  • Bile duct stricture confirmed on cholangiography at ERCP
  • Malignant etiology confirmed on histology or cytology
  • Duct stricture is > 1 cm distal to the biliary hilum (bifurcation of the common hepatic duct into the right and left hepatic ducts)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to obtain consent
  • Unable to tolerate procedure
  • Hilar strictures
  • Known benign biliary strictures and benign strictures confirmed after randomization
  • Circumstances where an alternative biliary stent (pigtail stent or metal stent) is deemed critical by the treating Gastroenterologist
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
58 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Winged perimeter stent

    Patients who receive the Viaduct stent during ERCP

    Device: WInged perimeter biliary stent insertion (Viaduct)

  • Active comparator
    polyethylene stent arm

    Patient who receive the traditional polyethylene stent during ERCP

    Device: traditional polyethylene stent insertion (Cotton Huibregtse)

Interventions

  • DeviceWInged perimeter biliary stent insertion (Viaduct)

    Insertion of a winged perimeter stent. Size to be determined during the ERCP based on findings.

    Also known as: Viaduct Stent

  • Devicetraditional polyethylene stent insertion (Cotton Huibregtse)

    insertion of a traditional polyethylene stent during ERCP, size to be determined depending on findings during ERCP

    Also known as: Cotton Huibregtse Stent

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Stent patency time

    Time to bile duct re-obstruction

    Time frame: six months post stent insertion

Secondary outcomes

  1. Etiology of stent failure

    Usually occlusion or migration

    Time frame: six months post stent insertion

  2. Compare number of patients with device related adverse events

    Comparing both procedural and delayed complications of stents

    Time frame: six months post stent insertion

  3. Identify patient factors associated with stent failure

    Time frame: six months post stent insertion

  4. Survival between the two groups

    Measurement in months of survival post diagnosis

    Time frame: six months post stent insertion

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • Vancouver General Hospital
    Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1M9, Canada
  • St Paul's Hospital
    Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2K5, Canada
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Raju GS, Sud R, Elfert AA, Enaba M, Kalloo A, Pasricha PJ. Biliary drainage by using stents without a central lumen: a pilot study. Gastrointest Endosc. 2006 Feb;63(2):317-20. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2005.07.053. PubMed 16427942 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 2, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01514214
Lead sponsor
University of British Columbia
Responsible party
Jennifer Telford (Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of British Columbia) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 23, 2012
Start date
Jan 2012
Primary completion
Jun 2015
Completion
Sep 2016
Last update
May 2, 2018

Study contacts

Jennifer J Telford, MD MPH FRCPC
principal investigator · University of British Columbia

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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