Removal of Bone Cement through Right Anterolateral Thoracotomy

Abstract

A 55-year-old woman who had a history of percutaneous vertebroplasty was referred to our institution with sudden onset of chest pain. Computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a long, linear, highly-attenuated segment in the right side of the heart and fragmented pieces in the right pulmonary artery. The CT scan and echocardiogram revealed no pericardial effusion or hemopericardium. Based on these findings, we performed surgery through right anterolateral thoracotomy without cardiac arrest. As a result, we safely removed the foreign body. This approach may be a feasible and effective procedure for selected cases.