Proximal migration of a tapered open-cell stent after carotid artery stenting for restenosis following endarterectomy

OBJECTIVESStent migration is an uncommon but serious complication of carotid artery stenting. Shortening and migration of closed-cell stents after carotid artery stenting has been reported, but migration of open-cell stents is extremely rare. MATERIALS AND METHODSHerein, we report a case of proximal migration of a tapered-design open-cell stent after carotid artery stenting for restenosis following endarterectomy for radiation-induced stenosis. RESULTSA 70-year-old man with a history of radiation therapy for tongue cancer approximately 10 years earlier was diagnosed with transient ischemic attack owing to severe stenosis of the right cervical internal carotid artery and was referred to our hospital. We performed carotid endarterectomy with a patch graft; 6 months later, restenosis was observed. Therefore, we performed carotid artery stenting with a self-expandable tapered-design open-cell stent. On the second day after the procedure, asymptomatic downward migration of the stent was detected. During the 3-year follow-up period after stent placement, no restenosis or further stent migration was observed. CONCLUSIONSThis report provides evidence that migration of implanted carotid stents can occur even with an open-cell stents. In particular, to our knowledge, there are no reports describing migration of tapered-design open-cell stents in the early postoperative period.