Intrapulmonary migration of a Kirschner wire 12 years after clavicular fracture fixation: case report and review of literature

Kirschner wires are still widely used for osteosynthesis in orthopedics and trauma surgery. Breaking of this material and migration into the lung parenchyma is a complication that has been occasionally described. We report a case of a patient who presented at our clinic with left thoracic discomfort and an intermittent non-productive cough. Chest X-ray showed a broken clavicular pin with the distal half inside the left chest. The pin was extracted from the lung parenchyma using a left 3-port video-assisted thoracoscopic approach. A literature review suggests that all intrathoracically migrated material should be removed, because of the risk of further migration and harm to the heart or major broncho-vascular structures. A minimally invasive approach should be considered whenever anatomy, clinical presentation and location of the material allows this.