Endoscopic management and prevention of migrated esophageal stents.

The use of self-expandable metallic stents has increased recently to palliate inoperable esophageal neoplasia and also in the management of benign strictures. Migration is one of the most common complications after stent placement and the endoscopist should be able to recognize and manage this situation. Several techniques for managing migrated stents have been described, as well as new techniques for preventing stent migration. Most stents have a "lasso" at the upper flange which facilitates stent repositioning or removal. An overtube, endoloop and large polypectomy snare may be useful for the retrieval of stents migrated into the stomach. External fixation of the stent with Shim's technique is efficient in preventing stent migration. Suturing the stent to the esophageal wall, new stent designs with larger flanges and double-layered stents are promising techniques to prevent stent migration but they warrant validation in a larger cohort of patients.