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Review
. 2025 May 15;16(5):6292-6296.
doi: 10.19102/icrm.2025.16056. eCollection 2025 May.

Migration of an Implantable Loop Recorder: A Meta-summary of Case Reports

Alfredo Mauriello  1   2 , Anna Rago  1 , Dario Amore  3 , Giacomo Sica  4 , Antonello D'Andrea  2 , Vincenzo Russo  1
Affiliations
Review

Migration of an Implantable Loop Recorder: A Meta-summary of Case Reports

Alfredo Mauriello et al. J Innov Card Rhythm Manag. .

Abstract

The migration of an implantable loop recorder (ILR) is a rare complication. We aimed to perform a meta-summary of case reports to characterize patients who experienced an ILR migration. We searched for case reports published in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Embase from January 2017 to 2023 using the following keywords: "migration ILR," "migration loop recorder," "complication loop recorder," and "complication ILR." Seven case reports/case series reporting ILR migration were included. Data about patients' characteristics, ILR implantation, time of onset, management, and clinical outcome of this complication were collected. Seven patients who experienced the migration of an ILR were examined. All patients experienced migration within 35 days following ILR implantation. The clinical suspicion of ILR migration mainly arose from patients' symptomatology. The migration of the ILR was confirmed by a radiological scan in all cases, and surgical removal, preferably by video-assisted thoracic surgery, was required. In conclusion, intrapleural migration is a rare complication of ILR implantation. It may occur in the early postprocedural period. Clinical suspicion arises from symptoms, but a radiological scan is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Surgical removal is mandatory.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; implantable loop recorder; migration; remote monitoring; syncope.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest for the published content. No funding information was provided.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Flowchart of the selection process.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Computed tomography scan images confirming migration of the implantable loop recorder (ILR) into the left pleural cavity. A: The axial computed tomography scan shows the ILR in the posterior pleural cavity between the descending thoracic aorta and the costal skeleton (arrow). B, D: Three-dimensional volume-rendered images with color mapping provide a realistic anatomical representation of the migrated ILR (arrows) useful for surgical planning. C: Coronal oblique multiplanar reformation shows the ILR with its coil in the pleural cavity (arrowheads). No pleural effusion was present.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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