Kirk M M, Herzog W R
Division of Cardiology, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore, USA.
Cathet Cardiovasc Diagn. 1997 Nov;42(3):331-4. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0304(199711)42:3<331::aid-ccd25>3.0.co;2-n.
Stent embolization is a rare but acknowledged complication of placement of disarticulated (half) Palmaz-Schatz stents. We report a case in which we diagnosed a previously unrecognized, embolized, undeployed half-stent in the distal LAD, causing slow flow, and then deployed the stent where it lay, resulting in improved flow. The literature on treatment of coronary stent embolization and on cutting and preparing half-stents for deployment is discussed.