[Transluminal removal of intravascular foreign bodies].

Removal of catheter tip or guide wire emboli is needed for most cases with this complication. An alternative to surgery is transvenous retrieval. The authors present their experience with a simple self-made loop-catheter, which in 11 of 12 cases proved successful for extraction of 9 catheter tips and 3 guide wires located in the central venous system, the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery in 10 patients, and in the aorta in 2. No further complications were caused by this procedure. Due to the serious hazards of embolized foreign bodies there is a need to remove them, and the authors believe that the transluminal route, preferably with the loop catheter, should be the primary approach to this iatrogenic complication.