Intracoronary retrieval of the dehisced radiopaque ring of a guiding catheter: an unusual complication of coronary angioplasty.

The guiding catheter used in coronary intervention may be damaged or some parts could be dehisced during the procedure, producing adverse effects in the vascular tree. So much so that immediate surgery is usually indicated. We report a case with a dehisced radiopaque ring of the catheter during the procedure. It was retrieved percutaneously without thoracotomy. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.