Colonic self-expandable metal stents can be placed endoscopically or radiologically either for palliation or as a bridge to surgery in the setting of acute malignant colonic obstruction. The bridge to surgery approach aims to decompress the colon in an acutely ill patient and provide time for stabilisation of the patient, staging, bowel cleansing, and conversion of an emergency operation into an elective one, often with a laparoscopic approach. Creation of a primary colonic anastomosis in an unprepared...