Use of the Soehendra Stent Retriever as a dilator in severe stenosis not responsive to conventional treatments: A single center real life case series

Aims The Soehendra stent retriever (SSR) (Wilson Cook Medical, Winston-Salem, N.C.) was designed to facilitate the removal of endobiliary stents by its capture via self-tapping threads on the distal tip of the extractor. The SSR is like a screw drill and can be also useful for dilating severe strictures. The mechanism of action is probably the engagement of the stricture by the self-tapping threads which, when torqued clockwise, results in both mechanical displacement of tissue and dilation of the stricture. We frequently face difficulties for the recanalization of high-grade biliary and pancreatic strictures in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or accessing structures during an endoscopic ultrasound. The SSR can be useful when standard techniques such as balloon dilation are not successful. However, reports of SSR use in the previously mentioned situations are limited.