Stent fracture in the left brachiocephalic vein

Abstract 

A 68-year-old male hemodialysis patient presented with severe congestion in his left arm. Left arm venography showed a completely occluded left brachiocephalic vein. We chose a self-expandable stent for treating this vein. However, restenosis occurred once at 8 months and again after six additional months. The cause of the restenosis was considered to be a stent fracture. On the first restenosis, we performed redilation with a balloon; on the second restenosis, we chose stent-in-stent with a balloon-expandable stent. At least 9 months after the stent-in-stent procedure, there has been no edema in his left arm. Therefore, stent-in-stent is one of the useful strategies for stent fracture in central venous obstruction.

Keywords: Central vein, Stent fracture, Self-expandable stent