Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Retrieval of an Intrathoracic Knife

Deliberate foreign body ingestion (DFBI) is a psychopathologic disorder that involves the ingestion of nonnutritive objects to cause self-harm. Depending on the object, the subsequent injuries can be life-threatening if not managed promptly. Whereas the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for the treatment of various lung diseases is well established, the efficacy for retrieval of intrathoracic foreign bodies is unclear and available literature is limited. We report the case of a patient who underwent a VATS for retrieval of an intrathoracic knife after ingestion. This report discusses the use of open thoracotomy vs VATS for intrathoracic foreign body retrieval.