Intracardiac migration of a Kirschner wire: case report and literature review
Sun-Young Park1, Joon-Won Kang, Dong Hyun Yang
1Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 86 Asanbyeongwon-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736, Korea.
Abstract:
Migration of orthopedic wires to a solid organ or body cavity is a rare complication that can cause various symptoms and may lead to death. We report a patient with Kirschner wire (K-wire) migration from the right pelvic cavity, a previous fracture site, into the right ventricle of the heart. K-wire migration was initially detected by simple chest radiography. The origin of the foreign body was initially unclear. Cardiac CT angiography with volume-rendered imaging helped to locate the migrating K-wire in the heart; a pelvic scan showed another K-wire in the right pelvic bone.
