Endoscopic retrieval of a broken and migrated esophageal metal stent.

In patients with inoperable malignant tumors of the esophagus or cardia, self-expanding metal stents are increasingly used to improve dysphagia. Usually, they are not difficult to place and, as compared to conventional plastic stents, complications such as stent migration or perforation, seem to occur less frequently. This is a report on a young patient with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the cardia, who was treated with a self expanding metal stent after endoscopic dilatation of a tumor stenosis in the distal esophagus. Immediately after the procedure, he was able to eat and gained weight. Within 6 weeks and while on continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil, the patient complained about recurrent severe dysphagia. Plain x-ray demonstrated a broken and migrated stent, the 2 parts of which were seen in the stomach and the duodenum. The stent could be extracted endoscopically without any complication, but the procedure was difficult and lasted 4 h, as the stent broke 2 more times during retrieval.