In Reply to: Case 0998_04 -- Migration of SVC Stent During Deployment posted by Editor on September 02, 1998 at 16:41:18:
Watermelon seeding or displacment of such an SVC stent is a real sphincter-tightening event!
The suggestions of predilatation have been made previously--choice of stent is significant here and several colleagues of mine now use the Gianturco-Rosch tracheobronchial stent for these applications because of the barbs which just don't move. I've used the stent for IVC lesions and it does indeed work very well. Additionally, it has big big interstices which permit sidebranch patency to be maintained.