Subdermally Placed Implanon Migration Into the Pectoralis Muscle and Its Removal in a Resource‐Limited Setup: A Case Report and Brief Literature Review
Due to their effectiveness, convenience, and reversibility, single-rod etonogestrel devices such as Implanon and Nexplanon are increasingly popular as long-acting reversible contraceptive methods. Despite these benefits, rare but serious side effects such as device migration can occur, making diagnosis and surgical removal challenging. We report a case of a 40-year-old woman who presented with an irretrievable contraceptive implant, despite multiple unsuccessful blind surgical attempts at nearby health centers. The device, originally inserted in her left arm 6 years ago, was localized through sequential ultrasound, X-ray, and targeted high-resolution ultrasound imaging, which identified the implant in the left pectoralis muscle. Ultimately, ultrasound-guided removal was successfully performed by a multidisciplinary team. This case highlights the importance of image-guided techniques for safe and effective implant retrieval, rather than relying on blind surgical exploration.
Authors
- Ananya Solomon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0248-7766)
- Birhanu Reta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1897-9072)
- Million Abraha Zeray (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3314-2088)
- Musie Negasi Gebreslase (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3808-7750)
- Haftom Guesh Girmay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4988-2282)
- Tsion Haile Woldemariam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5103-1045)
Institutions
- Arba Minch University (ET)
- Aksum University (ET)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Clinical Case Reports
- Published
- 2025-11-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ccr3.71433
- Primary Topic
- Reproductive Health and Contraception
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00