diff --git a/lib/features/modeling/behavior/RemoveElementBehavior.js b/lib/features/modeling/behavior/RemoveElementBehavior.js
index b006ad85..b22a3b89 100644
--- a/lib/features/modeling/behavior/RemoveElementBehavior.js
+++ b/lib/features/modeling/behavior/RemoveElementBehavior.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import inherits from 'inherits';
 
+import { is } from '../../../util/ModelUtil';
+
 import CommandInterceptor from 'diagram-js/lib/command/CommandInterceptor';
 
 import lineIntersect from './util/LineIntersect';
@@ -18,19 +20,25 @@ export default function RemoveElementBehavior(eventBus, bpmnRules, modeling) {
 
     var shape = e.context.shape;
 
-    if (shape.incoming.length == 1 && shape.outgoing.length == 1) {
+    // only handle [a] -> [shape] -> [b] patterns
+    if (shape.incoming.length !== 1 || shape.outgoing.length !== 1) {
+      return;
+    }
 
-      var inConnection = shape.incoming[0],
-          outConnection = shape.outgoing[0];
+    var inConnection = shape.incoming[0],
+        outConnection = shape.outgoing[0];
 
+    // only handle sequence flows
+    if (!is(inConnection, 'bpmn:SequenceFlow') || !is(outConnection, 'bpmn:SequenceFlow')) {
+      return;
+    }
 
-      if (bpmnRules.canConnect(inConnection.source, outConnection.target, inConnection)) {
+    if (bpmnRules.canConnect(inConnection.source, outConnection.target, inConnection)) {
 
-        // compute new, combined waypoints
-        var newWaypoints = getNewWaypoints(inConnection.waypoints, outConnection.waypoints);
+      // compute new, combined waypoints
+      var newWaypoints = getNewWaypoints(inConnection.waypoints, outConnection.waypoints);
 
-        modeling.reconnectEnd(inConnection, outConnection.target, newWaypoints);
-      }
+      modeling.reconnectEnd(inConnection, outConnection.target, newWaypoints);
     }
   });
 
diff --git a/test/spec/features/replace/BpmnReplace.poolMessageFlows.bpmn b/test/spec/features/replace/BpmnReplace.poolMessageFlows.bpmn
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2aeb7e0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spec/features/replace/BpmnReplace.poolMessageFlows.bpmn
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<bpmn:definitions xmlns:bpmn="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:di="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" id="Definitions_1" targetNamespace="http://bpmn.io/schema/bpmn" exporter="Camunda Modeler" exporterVersion="1.5.0">
+  <bpmn:collaboration id="Collaboration_16ydlxc">
+    <bpmn:participant id="Participant_1" name="Participant_1" processRef="Process_1" />
+    <bpmn:participant id="Participant_2" name="Participant_2" processRef="Process_2" />
+    <bpmn:messageFlow id="MessageFlow_1" sourceRef="Task_A" targetRef="Task_B" />
+    <bpmn:messageFlow id="MessageFlow_2" sourceRef="Task_B" targetRef="Task_A" />
+  </bpmn:collaboration>
+  <bpmn:process id="Process_1" isExecutable="false">
+    <bpmn:laneSet />
+    <bpmn:task id="Task_B" name="Task_B" />
+  </bpmn:process>
+  <bpmn:process id="Process_2" isExecutable="false">
+    <bpmn:task id="Task_A" name="Task_A" />
+  </bpmn:process>
+  <bpmndi:BPMNDiagram id="BPMNDiagram_1">
+    <bpmndi:BPMNPlane id="BPMNPlane_1" bpmnElement="Collaboration_16ydlxc">
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Participant_1_di" bpmnElement="Participant_1">
+        <dc:Bounds x="94" y="483" width="372" height="149" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Task_B_di" bpmnElement="Task_B">
+        <dc:Bounds x="332" y="532" width="100" height="80" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Participant_2_di" bpmnElement="Participant_2">
+        <dc:Bounds x="96" y="40" width="383" height="125" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Task_A_di" bpmnElement="Task_A">
+        <dc:Bounds x="332" y="61" width="100" height="80" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNEdge id="MessageFlow_1_di" bpmnElement="MessageFlow_1">
+        <di:waypoint x="400" y="141" />
+        <di:waypoint x="402" y="532" />
+        <bpmndi:BPMNLabel>
+          <dc:Bounds x="815" y="301.5" width="0" height="0" />
+        </bpmndi:BPMNLabel>
+      </bpmndi:BPMNEdge>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNEdge id="MessageFlow_2_di" bpmnElement="MessageFlow_2">
+        <di:waypoint x="366" y="532" />
+        <di:waypoint x="366" y="141" />
+        <bpmndi:BPMNLabel>
+          <dc:Bounds x="795" y="316.5" width="0" height="0" />
+        </bpmndi:BPMNLabel>
+      </bpmndi:BPMNEdge>
+    </bpmndi:BPMNPlane>
+  </bpmndi:BPMNDiagram>
+</bpmn:definitions>
diff --git a/test/spec/features/replace/BpmnReplaceSpec.js b/test/spec/features/replace/BpmnReplaceSpec.js
index 6bc9bf91..0b1fd001 100644
--- a/test/spec/features/replace/BpmnReplaceSpec.js
+++ b/test/spec/features/replace/BpmnReplaceSpec.js
@@ -317,6 +317,37 @@ describe('features/replace - bpmn replace', function() {
   });
 
 
+  describe('should collapse pool, removing message flows', function() {
+
+    var diagramXML = require('./BpmnReplace.poolMessageFlows.bpmn');
+
+    beforeEach(bootstrapModeler(diagramXML, {
+      modules: testModules
+    }));
+
+
+    it('expanded with collapsed pool', inject(function(elementRegistry, bpmnReplace) {
+
+      // given
+      var shape = elementRegistry.get('Participant_1');
+
+      // when
+      var newShape = bpmnReplace.replaceElement(shape, {
+        type: 'bpmn:Participant',
+        isExpanded: false
+      });
+
+      // then
+      expect(isExpanded(newShape)).to.be.false; // collapsed
+      expect(newShape.children).to.be.empty;
+
+      expect(elementRegistry.get('MessageFlow_1')).not.to.exist;
+      expect(elementRegistry.get('MessageFlow_2')).not.to.exist;
+    }));
+
+  });
+
+
   describe('should replace with data objects', function() {
 
     var diagramXML = require('./BpmnReplace.dataObjects.bpmn');