Retrieval of a migrated coronary stent by means of an alligator forceps catheter.

Stent migration and embolization are well-known complications of intracoronary stenting with balloon-mounted stents. During an elective stenting procedure of a proximal right coronary artery stenosis, a 3.5 mm Wiktor stent (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis) was displaced from its delivery balloon. The guiding catheter and the delivery system were withdrawn, leaving the stent around a 3 m 0.014 inch High Torque floppy guidewire (ACS, Santa Clara, CA) in the abdominal aorta. An 40 cm 5F Alligator Forceps catheter (Cook OB/Gyn., Spencer, IN), introduced through a cut-off 8F coronary guiding catheter, allowed improved torque control of the retrieval catheter and a safe and successful withdrawal of the stent through the arterial introducer sheet.