Endotherapy for the Proximal Migration of Pancreatic Stents: A Systematic Review

Proximal migration is one of the complications after pancreatic duct stenting. This study aimed to determine the incidence of proximal migration and to analyze the rescue methods.

A search was performed in MEDLINE/Embase database. The literatures included were reviewed and analyzed. Retrieval tools were classified into the following 3 classes: class A works by indirectly contacting the outer surface of the stent. Class B works by directly contacting the outer surface. Class C works by directly contacting the inner surface.

416 literatures were retrieved from 1983 to 2021. 15 literatures were included. The incidence of proximal migration of pancreatic stents was 4.7% (106/2246). The success rate of endotherapy was 86.6% (214/247), and the surgical conversion rate of it was 9.3%. Among the 214 cases in which the displaced stents were successfully removed under endoscopy, 49 cases (22.9%) used class A methods, 154 cases (72.0%) used class B methods, and 11 cases (5.1%) used class C methods. The overall rate of postoperative complication was 12.1%, including postprocedure pancreatitis (9.1%, 18/247), followed by bleeding (1.5%), perforation (1.0%), and biliary infection (0.5%).

Endoscopy is an effective method for the treatment of proximal displacement of pancreatic stents with acceptable complication rate.