Case report:
A 33-year-old male presented to our hospital with a broken needle in his left arm after a trial of self-drug injection. His first complaint was left shoulder pain where the needle was detected on shoulder X-ray after examination by orthopaedic surgeons.
Under fluoroscopic guidance, a trial of removal by the vascular surgeons was done (Figure 1); however, the needle was embolized. A chest X-ray showed the needle in the right lung. (Figure 2)
A chest contrast-enhanced CT scan was done and revealed the needle embedded in the right lower lung lobe. (Figure 4) There was no evidence of venous thromboembolism or infarction and no detectable pericardial effusion.
The decision was made to manage the case conservatively because the patient complained from chest pain localized to the right side, which was controlled by analgesics. The patient was discharged in low dose Aspirin, and there were no complications reported after six months of follow-up.