Retained Surgical Sponge Diagnosed as a Paracardiac Mass 35 Years After Surgery

Abstract

Retained foreign bodies following surgery are of medico-legal importance. Most commonly, surgical sponges are retained. Although the typical localization is in the intraabdominal region, mediastinal presentations are also observed. Here, we report a case of retained sponge diagnosed as a paracardiac mass 35 years after closed mitral commissurotomy. The radiologic diagnosis could not be established with plain X-ray due to absence of radiopaque string in it. The patient had no signs of infection or mass effect. During mitral valve replacement and coronary bypass surgery, surgical removal of the sponge was performed.