Colonic Perforation by a Percutaneously Displaced Biliary Stent: Report of a Case and a Review of Current Practice

Percutaneous biliary interventions are often performed for biliary obstruction when endoscopic stent placement is not feasible or has failed to provide relief. These secondary percutaneous interventions may be complicated by the presence of a previously placed occluded biliary stent requiring displacement and removal. The authors report a case of colonic perforation by a plastic biliary stent that was purposely displaced into the small bowel for passage at the time of percutaneous intervention and review the current practices concerning biliary stent removal in interventional radiology and gastrointestinal endoscopy.