Superior vena cava stent migration into the pulmonary artery causing fatal pulmonary infarction.
Migration of superior vena cava (SVC) stents is a well-recognised complication of their deployment, and numerous strategies exist for their retrieval. To our knowledge, only three cases of migration of an SVC stent to the pulmonary vasculature have previously been reported. None of these patients developed complications that resulted in death. We report a case of SVC stent migration to the pulmonary vasculature with delayed pulmonary artery thrombosis and death from pulmonary infarction. We conclude that early retrieval of migrated stents should be performed to decrease the risk of serious complications.
Department of Clinical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital, London W6 9NT, England. gijanandm@hotmail.com
Girija
G
Anand
Conrad R
CR
Lewanski
Steven A
SA
Cowman
James E
JE
Jackson
D017130:Angioplasty; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D004868:Equipment Failure; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005268:Femoral Vein; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007238:Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015607:Stents; D013479:Superior Vena Cava Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed