Metallic staples line mimicking a retained surgical sponge

Metallic staples line mimicking a retained surgical sponge

Blog Article

The inadvertent loss of surgical sponges remains a dreadful hazard of surgery.We report the case of a patient with a medical history of myotonic dystrophy type 1 who had received a right upper lobectomy for the treatment of a stage IIA (pT1N1M0) well differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma.In the early postoperative period, aspiration of gastric contents occurred and the patient underwent click here endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation.

A follow-up multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan of the chest showed a complex mass in interlobar position with an internal radiopaque serpiginous thread of metallic density which was assumed to represent a retained surgical sponge.Upon surgical exploration, no retained foreign body was found and a zone of recent hemorrhagic infarction, bordered by the line of the mechanical staples used to complete the minor fissure, was removed from the middle lobe.When evaluating patients suspected of having a retained surgical sponge, thoracic surgeons and radiologists should eeboo coupons be aware of this potential source of confusion.