A 68-year-old man was admitted because of slight fever, productive cough and fatigue. He had not undergone thoracic surgery, although subtotal gastrectomy was performed 32 years ago. The chest X-ray and CT suggested left lung abscess. Bronchoscopy revealed pieces of gauze intrabronchially, and they were removed by transbronchial procedures. After the removal of the gauze, his symptoms subsided. As the patient had never had thoracotomy, it was considered that the pieces of gauze,which were left in the abdomen at gastrectomy, moved into the thoracic cavity via the diaphragm and made a fistula to the bronchial tree,where they were found as an intrabronchial foreign body.
気管支鏡にて摘出された気管支内ガーゼの１例
