CTICasesSternotomy Wire Embolization
Imaging findings
Serial chest radiographs in a patient post-bilateral lung transplantation show fragmentation and breakage of transverse sternotomy wires, with a missing wire fragment. Chest CT demonstrates the fractured metallic wire fragment lodged within a segmental pulmonary artery of the right lower lobe, without parenchymal complication.
Key takeaways
Embolization of fractured surgical wires (such as sternotomy wires) is a rare, iatrogenic complication of cardiothoracic surgery. Wire fatigue and sternal motion can cause wires to break; if a fragment erodes through the sternal cortex into a cardiac chamber (usually the right ventricle) or a central venous line, it can embolize to the pulmonary vasculature, where it is typically managed conservatively if asymptomatic.
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