Endoscopic removal of esophageal expandable metal stents:is it really feasible?

A self expandable metal stent was placed in a patient with corrosive esophageal stricture as a temporary measure so that he could be fed until the time he would be operated. One month later the stent was already embedded in the esophageal wall and could not be removed. Despite some reports suggesting that endoscopic removal of esophageal metal stents is feasible, our case indicates that they should rather be considered as irretrievable and should be generally avoided in cases of benign esophageal stenoses. Key words: benign esophageal stricture; expandable metal stent; endoscopic removal