Delayed anterior cervical screws migrating simultaneously to the lung and stomach

Abstract

A 60-year-old man received C3–C4 and C5–C6 discectomy with cage fusion 5 years prior for disc herniation with root compression. This time, he had left arm pain due to C5 on C6 retrolisthesis. Partial C5 and C6 corpectomy with cage fusion and anterior cervical plate fixation, and C5–C6 lateral mass screw fixation, were performed (Fig. 1). However, dysphagia developed, and his symptoms recurred 4 months later [1–3]. One cervical screw migrating to the stomach was found incidentally on plain radiography (Fig. 2). Esophagography revealed no esophageal perforation. Esophagoscopy revealed neither scar nor signs of perforation. His condition improved after medical treatment. However, intermittent fever developed 1 month later. On radiography, we found no obvious sign of pneumonia but found another cervical screw in the right lower lung (Fig. 3). Computed tomography revealed the screw in the distal bronchus of the right lung and the screw previously in the stomach migrating to the right lower abdomen (Fig. 4, Left, Right).