The usage of these stents during a procedure called ERCP has been proven continuously to be a failure. The stents not only leak plastic toxins (bpa) into the blood stream they become blocked by bile stones,migrate and most of all cause horrible debilitating pain.Europe has begun banning these stents for the same reasons listed above but mostly for the leakage of plastics (bpa) into the blood stream.The FDA has been conducting clinical trials in Europe (University of Tampere)on biodregradeable stents (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00493675) because"The draw back is that the plastic stent needs to be removed later in a second intervention."Europes focus seems to be the interest in patient safety and well being.There are so many cases for the proof that these plastic stents are causing damage to down load links to pages.I ask you to please search (complications of biliary stents after ERCP),(complications of pancreas stents after ERCP) for this proof.Let us all take a stand here in the U.S. and also ban these faulty and dangerous plastic medical devices.