Intracardiac foreign body mimicking coronary artery disease: a case report

Intracardiac foreign bodies are a rare condition with a varied clinical presentation. The most common etiology is venous migration of endovascular objects so symptoms can develop months or even years after inoculation. We present the case of 56-year-old male with post-exertional angina. The patient was suspected to have coronary artery disease revealed but subsequent coronary angiography revealed a ~5 cm long foreign body that had pierced the ventricular wall. The foreign body was successfully removed with open surgery. We discuss different imaging techniques that may be helpful in the diagnosis of cardiac foreign bodies and surgical management of these cases.