PMC6041116_01
Anteroposterior radiographs of both knees showing a left total knee arthroplasty and severe right knee osteoarthritis.
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The patient had an uneventful surgery, hospital stay, and postoperative rehabilitation (Fig. 1).
Preoperative anteroposterior (A) and lateral (B) radiographs of the right knee showing severe osteoarthritis and the drain retained inside the joint.
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A preoperative radiograph (Fig. 2) showed severe osteoarthritis with an abnormal foreign body but the surgical team apparently did not notice it.
Intraoperative photographs (A) and (B) of the knee joint showing the drain remnant stuck inside the joint and deep between the tissues, which become prominent after the femur and tibia were cut for a total joint replacement.
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During the arthroplasty procedure, after the femur and tibia were cut and just before irrigation and insertion of the new implant prosthesis, we noticed an abnormal elongated structure inside the knee just posterior to the femur and extending down to the tibia as shown in Fig. 3.
Intraoperative photograph of the remnant drain after it was extracted from the joint.
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The drain was removed and sent for a culture and sensitivity analysis (Fig. 4).