Intrapulmonary intra-arterial malposition of a port catheter—an exceptionally rare complication

Although port system implantations have been established as standardized surgical procedures, they may be associated with significant risks and complications. Therefore, both the planning and the correct execution of the implantation require a high degree of accuracy. To the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first report presenting a potentially life-threatening intrapulmonary intra-arterial malposition of a port catheter. A 66-year-old female patient was admitted to our division due to a port-a-catheter malposition. CT images showed an intrapulmonary localization of the port catheter, located in an apical pulmonary segmental artery in the right upper lobe. Urgent explantation of the port-a-cath was performed without complication, and the patient left our division on the fourth postoperative day. This extremely complicated case demonstrates the importance of accurate intra- and postoperative radiological imaging for rapid and distinct detection of perioperative complications after surgical implantation of port systems.