Unsuspected retained 60-cm intravenous guidewire.

We report a case of a retained 60-cm intravenous guidewire that had inadvertently slipped into a patient during preoperative central line placement. This unsuspected guidewire was unrecognized on postoperative chest and abdominal radiographs, but was subsequently diagnosed much later at computed tomography. After 150 days within the patient, the guidewire was retrieved percutaneously without complication.