PMC5813717_01
Chest radiographs showing the position of the catheter after insertion and the retained catheter fragment. The left image (a) shows the paravertebral catheter after the insertion procedure (white arrows). The right image (b) shows the catheter fragment (white arrows) remaining after catheter removal. In both images, the black arrow indicates the tip of the catheter
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Fig1
However, after identification of the fragment on computed tomography (CT), a radiopaque catheter fragment was retrospectively identified near the fifth thoracic vertebral body on the chest radiograph (Fig. 1).
Computed tomography images of the retained catheter fragment (arrow). The cut side of the catheter fragment is located at a depth of 6.3 mm from the skin surface (white arrow). The tip of the paravertebral catheter (black arrow) has been displaced to the posterior mediastinum and is located near the esophagus and trachea, on sagittal views (a) and axial views (b)
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Fig2
The catheter fragment was also visible in the tissue of the back on CT (Fig. 2).
Photograph and transmission electron micrograph of the paravertebral catheter fragment. The catheter was cut 100 mm from the tip (a). The catheter was severed without stretching, and the cut surface is slightly crushed, and smooth, on photomacrography (b) and transmission electron micrography (c)
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Fig3
The catheter fragment was not stretched, and the cut surface was slightly crushed and smooth (Fig. 3).