Migration of a Retained Surgical Suture Needle in the Common Bile Duct

Abstract

Retained surgical foreign bodies have been a cause of concern since physicians began operating on patients. Retained surgical foreign bodies in the common bile duct (CBD) are rare and may cause cholangitis and jaundice. We report the case of a patient who initially presented with fever and right upper-quadrant abdominal pain. He had received cholecystectomy and choledochojejunostomy 28 years ago and had been well since then. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed left-lobe liver abscess and a linear curve of high-density material. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) displayed mild dilatation of the common bile duct (CBD) and choledojejunostomic fistula of the middle CBD. A curved, linear, rusty, metallic surgical suture needle was detected and successfully removed under ERCP.

A Case of Foreign Body in the Biliary Tree and the Challenge of Hypereosinophilia

“…A CT scan revealed an abscess in the liver lobe and a linear curve of high-density material within a mass. During a subsequent ERCP procedure, a curved, linear, rusty metallic surgical suture needle measuring 1.7 cm was removed from the patient's hepatic duct [16].…”