Appendiceal perforation due to biliary stent migration in a neutropenic patient with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy: A case report

The use of biliary stents has become a common and usually safe procedure. However, the migration of biliary stents is an uncommon but well-recognized event after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The migration of plastic stents usually does not result in complications and are spontaneously eliminated from the gastro-intestinal tract. Additionally, <1% of migrated stents result in intestinal perforation, which typically occurs at the duodenum. Chemotherapeutic agents may cause gastrointestinal toxicity and hematologic toxicity predisposing to neutropenic enterocolitis. The current study reports a patient with an unprecedented case of biliary stent migration resulting in appendiceal gangrene and perforation in a neutropenic patient under chemotherapy for metastatic small cell lung cancer.