Angiographic retrieval of foreign bodies in pulmonary artery: a report of three cases.

Three cases of percutaneous retrieval of foreign bodies that migrated into the pulmonary artery are described in this paper. All of the intravascular foreign bodies were attributed to SVC catheters for intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) therapy, an accidentally cut strip of indwelling SVC catheter in two patients and a fragment of guide wire used for the insertion of the SVC catheter in one patient. They were all successfully removed by fluoroscopic angiographic procedures using a snare loop retriever and grasping forceps. The technical aspects of the procedures are discussed here.