Proton pump inhibitors might be associated to an increased risk of Cholangitis in biliary-stented patients

BACKROUND: Endoscopic biliary endoprothesis insertion is the most common palliative treatment of biliary obstruction caused by benign strictures or malignant hepatobiliary tumors. The occlusion of the stents resulting in jaundice with or without cholangitis requires the regular removal and replacement of these stents. The occlusion results mainly from the biliary sludge occlusion and bacterial biofilm growth in the stent's lumen. Some data show that the widely used proton pump inhibitors change the spectrum and number of biliary pathogens in patients with acute cholangitis. AIM: Our goal was to investigate the r…