Intraspinal K-wire migration after humeral fracture fixation

An extraordinary mechanism causing intraoperative migration of the Kirschner-wire

“…The reported intraabdominal sites for wire migration were the spleen, liver, retroperitoneum, and aortic lumen. [1,2,[6][7][8][9] Even embolization of a K-wire has been reported. [10] However, all those migrations had occurred after a certain period of time from the surgery, so the surgeons must be alert to for close follow-up.…”

“…Migration of K-wires is a well-known complication which may occur after a certain period from surgery, usually following surgeries around the shoulder girdle (the clavicle, the acromioclavicular joint, and the proximal humerus), and the wire may migrate to the intrathoracic structures (the lungs, the esophagus, the trachea, the aorta, the heart or the subclavian artery) and even into the spinal cord. [1][2][3] Immediate migration of the wire while using cannulated devices during surgeries around the hip were also reported, [4,5] but K-wires do not seem to migrate in the immediate setting without the use of cannulated devices. In this article, we report an extraordinary mechanism for intraoperative migration of a K-wire used for temporary fixation of fracture fragments.…”