Delayed cardiac tamponade and hemothorax induced by an acupuncture needle

We report a 52-year-old man who presented with cardiac tamponade a few years after accidental breakage of an acupuncture needle that had not been removed. Thoracotomy showed a hemopericardium with penetration of the pulmonary artery by the very fine needle which was barely detected on the chest roentgenogram. This lesion was not suspected on the basis of roentgenography, two-dimensional echocardiography, or computed tomography, but was detected by the presence of other thick needles in the neck, chest and abdomen. This case showed a possible threat of 'stealthy' and migrating foreign bodies, such as very fine acupuncture needles.