Superior vena cava stent migration into the pulmonary artery causing fatal pulmonary infarction

Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2011 Feb:34 Suppl 2:S198-201. doi: 10.1007/s00270-010-9812-3. Epub 2010 Feb 5.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Angioplasty
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / complications
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Equipment Failure
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Femoral Vein
  • Foreign-Body Migration / diagnostic imaging*
  • Foreign-Body Migration / therapy
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement*
  • Infarction / diagnostic imaging*
  • Lung / blood supply*
  • Lung Neoplasms / complications
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Pulmonary Artery / diagnostic imaging*
  • Respiratory Insufficiency / diagnostic imaging
  • Stents*
  • Superior Vena Cava Syndrome / therapy*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*