Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

A 71-year-old man underwent implantation of a single-chamber system in 1988 for sinoatrial disease, which was then upgraded to dual-chamber 7 years later following recurrent syncope. He presented with pacemaker erosion but without clinical or laboratory evidence of infective endocarditis. The pacemaker system was uneventfully extracted 5 days later via a transfemoral approach using a needle-eye snare. A post-procedure trans-thoracic echocardiogram was performed, which demonstrated an echogenic structure in the right atrium-this was initially felt to be a retained fragment of pacing lead. A short-axis view of the tricuspid valve with a bright linear echo crossing is shown in Figure 1. However, a post-procedural chest X-ray confirmed the absence of any retained intra-cardiac lead. The reverberant cast-like structure noted is a heavily calcified fibrous sheath as the pacing leads were confirmed to be intact at the time of removal.

Original publication

DOI

10.1093/ejechocard/jen330

Type

Journal article

Journal

Eur J Echocardiogr

Publication Date

03/2009

Volume

10

Keywords

Aged, Cardiac Pacing, Artificial, Chronic Disease, Echocardiography, Echocardiography, Transesophageal, Foreign Bodies, Humans, Male, Pacemaker, Artificial