Positioning artifact causing retained foreign object appearance in a radiograph of a venous catheter.

In preparation for an abdominal tumor debulking procedure, a patient had a right internal jugular central venous catheter (CVC) inserted. A radiologist interpreted a postoperative chest radiograph as containing a 7-cm foreign body in the distal lumen of the CVC. After removal, dissection of the CVC revealed a polyurethane plug in the distal lumen. The manufacturer (Arrow®) states that the synthetic plug is part of standard CVC construction that may produce a radiopaque signal with specific patient positioning during radiography. This report is intended to raise awareness of the potential for this radiographic finding and prevent the unnecessary removal of clinically indicated CVCs.