Abstract
We report here on two cases of fractured nitinol stents in the esophagus. In case
1, the correctly inserted stent broke spontaneously shortly after insertion. In a
second case, a nitinol stent broke after laser application due to tumor ingrowth with
massive bleeding. In both cases, a second stent was implanted in order to reestablish
food passage.
The fracture of the stent in case 1 seemed to be caused by defective material, whilst
in case 2 the stent broke because of thermal overstrain during laser application.
The use of electrocoagulation or laser in the stent area should therefore be avoided;
argon plasma coagulation may offer an effective alternative in treating tumor ingrowth.
As there was a risk from piercing broken filaments with the second stent, covering
a fracture using stents with tight walls or plastic tubes seems to be a more effective
approach than the inserting an uncovered stent type.
