Intrapulmonary foreign body removal under virtual bronchoscopic navigation

We report a case of successful removal of a pulmonary foreign body (gauze) using 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) with virtual bronchoscopy. A 70-year-old woman underwent thoracic surgery for tuberculosis approximately 35 years ago. In 2011, she presented with chronic cough and intermittent fever. A chest CT revealed a soft tissue mass measuring approximately 4.5 cm in diameter in the right residual lower lobe of the lung. On the basis of the chest CT, a foreign body was suspected. The foreign body could not be identified under conventional bronchoscopy because of the presence of multiple bronchial stenoses due to chronic inflammation. Therefore 3-dimensional CT with virtual bronchoscopy was performed to detect the exact location of the foreign body. The foreign body was successfully removed during the navigation, and her symptoms disappeared rapidly.