Urology. 2003 Dec;62(6):1121-2.
Migration of a dislodged tip of an ultrasound lithotripter probe to the
pulmonary artery: a rare complication of percutaneous
nephrolithotomy.
Lin CH, Chen CH, Tzeng WS, Cheng BC, Chiu AW.
Division of Urology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Abstract
A 44-year-old man underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy for a left renal staghorn stone. During the
procedure, the tip of the ultrasound lithotripter dislodged from the probe rod when the renal stone was
being disintegrated. The tip immediately disappeared from the field of nephroscopic vision. Despite a
thorough search, the tip could not be found. Postoperative chest radiography revealed a foreign body,
shaped like a lithotripter probe tip, located in the lingular branch of the left pulmonary artery. Eventually,
left thoracotomy was performed to remove the foreign body. To our knowledge, this rare complication
has never been reported before.
PMID: 14665369 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]