PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term patency of the Hanaro spiral stent (Solco Intermed, Seoul, Korea) when used as a palliative in patients with inoperable malignant biliary obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between April 1996 and July 1998, 39 patients with malignant biliary obstruction underwent percutaneous placement of 48 Hanaro spiral stents. The causes of obstruction were bile duct carcinoma(n=18), pancreatic carcinoma (n=8), metastatic lymphadenopathy (n=5), gallbladder carcinoma (n=5), hepatocellular carcinoma (n=1) and other tumors (n=2). Using the kaplan-Meier method, patient survival and stent patency rates were estimated with regard to level of obstruction. RESULTS: As regards stent insertion, there was no technical failure. Overall 25- and 50-week survival rates for the entire patient group were 50% and 11%, respectively, while overall stent patency rates at 25 and 50 weeks were 42 % and 11 %, respectively. Twenty-five-week stent patency rates in patients with common bile duct (CBD) and hilar obstruction were 51 % and 18 %, respectively. The stent patency rates in the CBD obstruction group was significantly higher than that in the hilar obstruction group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In patients with CBD obstruction, the clinical efficacy of Hanaro spiral stent was superior to that in patients with hilar obstruction. However, Hanaro spiral stents showed a lower patency rate with regard to patient survival, and further investigation is required.