Embolized stent in the coronary circulation "without riding the wire" and its novel management strategy

We report a unique technique for retrieval of a coronary stent, embolized during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), using conventional angioplasty wires and angioplasty balloon catheters. In this case, the stent embolized into the distal left main and proximal left circumflex arteries. As the guide catheter and percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) wire were withdrawn from the coronary arteries, the stent was freely floating in the coronary circulation "without riding the wire". It was managed by re-entry of the Intermediate PTCA wire through the stent with the help of an over-the-wire balloon and was successfully deployed across the lesion. Stent embolization, although a very rare event, may lead to devastating consequences. This technique has been demonstrated for the first time and employs readily available tools that are familiar to all operators.