Foreign Bodies in Pleura and Chest Wall

Foreign bodies should be removed from pleura and chest wall, when possible. Small, blunt, peripherally located foreign bodies may be left behind if difficulties at extraction are anticipated. Thoracotomy may be needed for treatment of associated injuries, and for removal of materials used in plombage, because of adhesions. In others the use of videothoracoscopy is preferable. Physicians performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in anatomic proximity of pleura should exert utmost care to avoid iatrogenic introduction of a foreign body.