A stent is placed in the colon to widen an area of narrowing of the colon. Unlike stents used for blood vessels around the heart, the stents used in the colon are prone to migration and may dislodge from their original area of placement. Therefore, colonic stents are usually used to overcome intestinal obstruction from a colon cancer. Once the obstruction has resolved and the patient is more stable, surgery will need to be performed; usually within 2 weeks.
Colonic stenting carries a risk of potential colonic perforation during the placement of the stent. This may be because the cancer is already about to perforate and stretching of the cancer damages the thinned out colon even more. If a stent is left in place for more than 1 month, there is a chance it can dislodge and migrate above or below the area of the stent. That can cause bleeding or obstruction of the colon as well.
