A Fantasy Trip with a Broken Acupuncture Needle: a case report

Abstract Background Acupuncture has always been a treatment method of Chinese traditional medicine, and while becoming more and more popular, it also faces some risks. The case we reported was a patient who was founded a foreign body in the lung many years after acupuncture. Case Presentation A middle-aged woman who came to our hospital with chest pain found a needle-like foreign body in the middle lobe of her right lung on X-ray. This patient underwent acupuncture in the lower back and lower extremities for local pain many years ago. Based on imaging findings and medical history, we suppose that the foreign body in the lung is the result of a ruptured acupuncture needle that is ectopized. Through preoperative 3-dimension reconstruction and indocyanine green localization, we identified the foreign body located in the lateral segment of right middle lobe and successfully removed the foreign body by wedge resection. The patient recovered smoothly after surgery. Conclusion Acupuncturists and surgeons should be alert to the possible risks of acupuncture.