Introduction: The need for implant use during orthopedic surgeries has been increasing. Accordingly, increased implant failures have been reported. However, bladder perforation remains a rare complication after orthopedic surgery. Although a few reports have described bladder perforation after total hip arthroplasty, no previous studies have reported the migration of staples into the bladder after limb-sparing surgery.
Presentation of case: A 65-year-old patient underwent limb-sparing surgery to remove a chondrosarcoma in the left proximal thigh. Twenty-six years after surgery, a staple that had been used to fix artificial ligaments to the pubis migrated to perforate the bladder, resulting in painful urination. The staple was removed, and her symptoms improved.
Discussion: In this case, bladder perforation by the staple resulted in painful urination. The bladder perforation was not detected until 26 years after the initial surgery.
Conclusion: Our observations emphasize that implant complications may occur even after a long postoperative period, and the possibility of delayed bladder perforation from previous pelvic surgeries should be considered in patients presenting with urinary tract symptoms.
Keywords: Bladder perforation; Case report; Implant complication; Limb-sparing surgery; Orthopaedic staples.
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