Percutaneous removal of a fractured endostent remnant from the portal vein.

We report the case of a liver transplant patient who developed a biliary stricture 3 years postoperatively which was treated with an endostent. During endoscopic removal, the stent fractured and a portion of it lodged itself within the intrahepatic portion of a portal vein branch. The endostent fragment was retrieved percutaneously using interventional radiology techniques. Risk factors for endostent fracture and migration as well as various percutaneous retrieval methods are reviewed in this article.