Migration of biliary endoprosthesis - case report and literature review

Abstract

Introduction. The most common indications for placing a biliary stent are benign and malignant diseases that interfere with the normal flow of bile through the extrahepatic bile ducts. This procedure carries the risk of developing early and late complications. Case outline. We present a case of a 63-year-old female patient admitted to our hospital for additional diagnostics and treatment. At admission the patient reported the onset of the following symptoms several days prior to hospitalization: severe abdominal pain, predominantly in the upper quadrants, nausea, vomiting, and icterus. With the initial idea of carrying out non-surgical treatment of this condition, the patient was referred for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for the purpose of endoscopic calculi extraction. However, due to technical difficulties, the aforementioned procedure was not carried out. Instead, upon endoscopic papillotomy, a plastic biliary stent was placed. The second day after the procedure, the patient reported passing dark stools. After that, an esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed, which revealed a biliary stent in the duodenum, but without active bleeding. As part of the same procedure, the biliary stent was removed, and the next day the patient underwent surgical treatment. Conclusion. In order to prevent and reduce the incidence of adverse effects and complications, special caution should be applied when performing the procedure. It is even more important to timely recognize the occurrence of complications and to treat them promptly, in order to achieve the best treatment outcomes possible.