title: Migration of a Kirschner wire from the clavicle into the intrathoracic trachea.
abstract: We report a 70-year-old man who had a rare complication related to the insertion of Kirschner wires for fixation of a right clavicle fracture. Eight months after the placement of the Kirschner wires, he presented with cough and hemosputum. Chest roentgenograms, chest computed tomographic scans, and bronchoscopy revealed that one of the Kirschner wires had migrated through the lung and into the intrathoracic trachea. Immediate thoracotomy was performed to remove the wire. His postoperative course was uneventful.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan. 30mnaka@saitama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gika
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamahata
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Syugo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiba
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eguchi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001864:Bone Wires / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002968:Clavicle / Q000293:injuries*; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014133:Tracheal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery