Successful Surgical Removal of an Intrapulmonary Aberrant Needle Under Fluoroscopic Guidance: Report of a Case

We describe herein the successful surgical removal of an intrapulmonary aberrant needle. An asymptomatic 47-year-old woman underwent a routine chest X-ray which revealed a needle located in the right S⁸ area. We first tried to extract the needle; however, fluoroscopic examination confirmed that it had broken into two pieces and therefore, partial resection of the right S⁸ was performed. To avoid rethoracotomy, the operation was done under fluoroscopic guidance. An intrathoracic aberrant needle should always be removed surgically as soon as possible, even if the patient is asymptomatic, due to the possibility of its migration into the vessels and the development of lung abscess or pyothorax. Received: December 28, 1999 / Accepted: September 26, 2000