The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2012 , Vol 54 , Num 3
Catheter Fragment Embolization: A Rare Yet Serious Complication of Catheter Use in Pediatric Oncology
Departments of 1Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, and 2Pediatric Cardiology, Acıbadem University Faculty of Medicine,
İstanbul, Turkey
Embolization is a rare but serious complication of venous central catheters in
pediatric oncology. The reported cases in the literature are due in common
to catheter ruptures. The most common cause is constant compression of
the costoclavicular arch, known as “pinch-off” syndrome. We report a sevenyear-
old boy in whom embolization occurred as a late complication. Difficulty
in the dissection of dense collagen periportal fibrosis was the main problem
during the extraction session. The embolization occurred 10 months later. In
an elective setting, percutaneous retrieval techniques were used successfully
to extract the catheter fragments, and full recovery was achieved.
Keywords :
catheter surgery, catheter complications, embolization, retrieval devices,
pinch-off syndrome.