Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 3, 2026
Three-Dimensional Ultrasonic Needle Tip Tracking with a Fiber-Optic Ultrasound Receiver
Published on: August 21, 2018
Novel Use of Three-Dimensional Ultrasonography to Locate a Retained Needle in the Vaginal Wall
Halei Wong1, Denicia Dwarica, Lieschen Quiroz
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri.
Background:
The occurrence of retained surgical instruments in vaginal surgery, although low, carries unique complications. Appropriate imaging to find retained surgical instruments allows for timely diagnosis and retrieval of the vaginal foreign body.
Case:
The patient is a 33-year-old woman with recurrent cervical cancer who was undergoing radiation therapy. During interstitial implantation, a reverse cutting needle was broken into the anterior vaginal wall. Three-dimensional endoluminal ultrasonography allowed for timely retrieval with minimal surgical exploration in the operating room.
Conclusion:
Intraoperative three-dimensional endoluminal ultrasonography allows for accurate visualization and mapping of a vaginal foreign body. This highlights an innovative and highly useful feature of this imaging technique.
