Endoscopic retrieval of migrated plastic stent into bile duct or pancreatic pseudocyst

Proximally migrated biliary plastic stent and migrated stent in the pancreatic pseudocyst are relatively rare complications. A migrated stent causes poor drainage conditions, which leads to secondary complications such as infection, abscess, perforation and, moreover, becomes a foreign object in the body, and retrieval or re-stenting is therefore necessary. The retrieval of a migrated stent includes surgical, percutaneous and endoscopic approaches, and the most non-invasive method is endoscopic retrieval. However, because very few devices are exclusively designed for retrieval, the current situation is that the available devices are used while taking advantage of various ideas and techniques. From previously reported cases and our experiences of such cases, we herein describe the methods of endoscopic retrieval for stents that have migrated into a bile duct or pancreatic pseudocysts.