A surgical gauze appearing as a retrocardiac mass in a patient after coronary artery bypass surgery.
Five years after open chest surgery because of three vessel coronary artery disease a patient was referred for progressing dyspnea and recent onset of atrial fibrillation. A retrocardiac mass was detected on chest X-ray and echocardiography. On CT-scan, the inhomogenous tumor made the diagnosis of a retained surgical gauze likely. Through a left incision the sponge was removed uneventfully and the dyspnea resolved.
Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fulda, Germany.
M
M
Unverdorben
U
U
Bauer
H
H
Oster
H
H
Kraska
C
C
Vallbracht
D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D015503:Surgical Sponges