Pericardial foreign body.

The authors describe the case of an inhaled foreign body unusually located in the pericardium. An initial chest skiagram was misinterpreted leading to a negative bronchoscopy. Correct anatomic localization of the foreign body only was established at surgical exploration, despite preoperative computerized tomography scan of the chest. Recognition of the propensity of sharp foreign bodies to migrate is essential in treating these patients. A tracheobronchial foreign body migrating to the pericardium has not been reported previously in the literature. J Pediatr Surg 36:936-938. Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.