Intraluminal erosion and migration of the Angelchik antireflux prosthesis.

Despite a paucity of published clinical trials, use of the Angelchik antireflux prosthesis has increased dramatically since its introduction in 1979. Serious complications of this device have begun to appear. We dealt with two cases of erosion of the prosthesis into the gastrointestinal tract, one of which represents, to our knowledge, the first reported case of a gastroenteric fistula secondary to the device. Other complications of the use of this prosthesis have appeared in the literature. Carefully controlled clinical studies with long-term follow-up are needed to assess the overall benefits and safety of this new antireflux prosthesis.