A rare case of migration of ballistic projectile from left to right main bronchus

  • Edwin Yosef Widjaja Department of Thoracic, Cardiac, and Vascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5072-497X
  • Dhihintia Jiwangga Department of Thoracic, Cardiac, and Vascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6767-0768
  • Chikita Nur Rachmi Department of Thoracic, Cardiac, and Vascular Surgery, Dr. Ramelan Navy Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia
Keywords: ballistic projectile, bronchus, foreign-body migration, thoracotomy
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Abstract

A foreign body in the bronchus due to a ballistic projectile is very uncommon. A 45-year-old man presented to the hospital after being accidentally shot. The initial radiographic assessment found a bullet in his left thoracic cavity. With the help of an X-ray, an urgent left posterolateral thoracotomy was conducted, but no foreign body was found. The foreign body had migrated to the contralateral chest cavity, as determined by the C-arm. On the following day, a thorax computed tomography scan was conducted, and it was discovered that the foreign body had already migrated to the right lower bronchus. A right thoracotomy was then performed to remove the foreign body. He was moved to the intensive care unit and discharged with a stable condition. In conclusion, migration of a foreign body in the bronchus is rare. A thorough strategy is required to prevent the object from migrating even further.

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Published
2022-12-02
How to Cite
1.
Widjaja EY, Jiwangga D, Rachmi CN. A rare case of migration of ballistic projectile from left to right main bronchus. Med J Indones [Internet]. 2022Dec.2 [cited 2024Jul.3];31(3):207-10. Available from: http://mji.ui.ac.id/journal/index.php/mji/article/view/6125
Section
Case Report/Series