Delayed surgical removal of a guide-wire fragment following coronary angioplasty

Guide-wire fragments retained in the coronary artery system after PTCA are removed either immediately by means of catheter techniques or by urgent operation. We report on a case of a fractured guide wire which was left in a side branch of the right posterior descending coronary artery for 18 months due to the absence of any adverse effect. The small fragment was removed during an elective aorto-coronary bypass procedure.