Migration of a dislodged tip of an ultrasound lithotripter probe to the pulmonary artery: a rare complication of percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Abstract

A 44-year-old man underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy for a left renal staghorn stone. During the procedure, the tip of the ultrasound lithotripter dislodged from the probe rod when the renal stone was being disintegrated. The tip immediately disappeared from the field of nephroscopic vision. Despite a thorough search, the tip could not be found. Postoperative chest radiography revealed a foreign body, shaped like a lithotripter probe tip, located in the lingular branch of the left pulmonary artery. Eventually, left thoracotomy was performed to remove the foreign body. To our knowledge, this rare complication has never been reported before.