Nitinol self-expanding stents: when severe twisting occurs, self-expansion may ensue after a waiting period.
One of the major disadvantages of nitinol endocoil stents is said to be incomplete deployment leading to twisting and stent dysfunction. We report a patient with irresectable pancreatic head cancer where severe twisting of the nitinol stent occurred which resolved on the day after stent insertion; the stent took its normal shape ten days later, whereafter the patient lived without stent-related problems for one year until his death. This shows that prospective management rather than immediate stent extraction may be warranted in such cases of stent dysfunction.
Chung
J P
JP
Dept. of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Park
H J
HJ
Lee
K S
KS
Chung
J B
JB
Chon
C Y
CY
Kang
J K
JK
Park
I S
IS
D000368:Aged; D000497:Alloys; D001652:Bile Ducts; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D015607:Stents
D000497:Alloys; C013616:nitinol