Beirong Hsinchu Branch successfully placed a metal stent in the large intestine for elderly patients to relieve intestinal obstruction

2026/09/09 10:28

Metal stent placement in the large intestine. (Provided by Beirong Hsinchu Branch)

[Reporter Liao Xueru/Report from Hsinchu] A grandmother who was nearly 90 years old recently sought emergency medical treatment due to repeated abdominal distension and vomiting. After a computerized tomography examination, it was shockingly discovered that she had a tumor in the transverse colon, causing severe large intestinal obstruction, and the gas and contents in the body could not be discharged. Considering that my grandma was old and frail, and her family was concerned about the risks of traditional surgery, the medical team of the gastroenterology department of Taipei Veterans General Hospital Hsinchu Branch decided to perform a "Self-Expandable Metal Stent (SEMS)" placement in the large intestine after evaluation, successfully giving my grandma a new lease of life without surgery.

This treatment is the first successful case at a medical institution in Dazhudong District. Cai Zhiqi, director of the Department of Gastroenterology, pointed out that if colorectal cancer causes severe intestinal obstruction, patients may experience symptoms such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, vomiting and inability to defecate. If not treated in time, it may cause intestinal ischemia, perforation or even severe infection. In the past, when faced with such critical situations, emergency laparotomy was usually required. However, with the "Color Intestinal Metal Stent", doctors can accurately deliver the stent to the tumor stenosis under the guidance of ultra-fine endoscopes and X-ray images, and use the stent's automatic elasticity and expansion characteristics to open the intestine and quickly restore intestinal patency.

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Considering the grandma's advanced age and physical condition, the family hoped to first remove the intestinal obstruction in a less invasive way, so the gastroenterology team evaluated the feasibility of placing a "self-expanding metal stent". While waiting for the equipment, my grandma once returned to the hospital due to a recurrence of symptoms. The medical team showed high efficiency and successfully completed the operation on the third day of hospitalization. After the operation, the stent accurately expanded the lesion, the severe abdominal distension and vomiting subsided immediately, the exhaust and defecation functions returned to normal, and the overall condition stabilized quickly.

On the left, before stent placement, the black bars represent the distended and gas-filled small intestine and ascending colon due to intestinal obstruction. On the right, 3 days after the stent was placed, the obstruction has been unblocked, and the inflated small intestine and colon have deflated. (Provided by Beirong Hsinchu Branch)

Cai Zhiqi said that for patients who are elderly, frail or not suitable for emergency surgery, metal stents provide a low-invasive and efficient treatment option, significantly reducing surgical risks and improving quality of life.

The Beirong Hsinchu Branch emphasized that this success demonstrated the leap forward in endoscopic interventional treatment in rural areas. In the future, it will continue to gather the strength of cross-teams such as gastroenterology, imaging medicine and surgery, so that local people in Greater Hsinchu and Zhudong can enjoy immediate, diversified and high-quality top medical services without having to travel far away.