We report the case of a 49-year-old woman, non-smoker, non-drinker, who 15 years previously had undergone embolization of pelvic varicose veins due to pelvic congestion syndrome. She was referred after the incidental finding of a nodule with a radiographic density of metal in the left hemithorax. The patient reported no respiratory symptoms. A flexible bronchoscopy was performed, ruling out a foreign body in the endobronchial region; chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed a foreign body occupying the segmental branch of the lower left lobe (LLL) (Fig. 1) consistent with a coil. Since the patient was asymptomatic, a conservative approach was taken, with clinical and radiological monitoring.
Embolization of ovarian varicose veins is a procedure used in the endovascular treatment of pelvic congestion syndrome. It is considered a safe and effective treatment, although some cases of pulmonary embolization of metal have been described.1 Cases of migration of coil fragments have also been reported in men after embolization of the dorsal veins of the penis or the spermatic vein for the treatment of erectile dysfunction or varicocele.2
Please cite this article as: D’Amato R, Figueira Gonçalves JM, Palmero Tejera JM. Embolismo pulmonar por migración de coil metálico tras tratamiento de varices pélvicas. Arch Bronconeumol. 2017;53:72.
