A 15-year-old Chinese IUD

A 40-year-old woman with an IUD that had been inserted in China 15 years previously presented for a pregnancy termination with a nine-week gestation. After the suction procedure was completed, an attempt was made to remove the IUD, first with an IUD hook, and then with a narrow forceps using abdominal ultrasound visualization. The IUD could be seen on ultrasound and felt with the forceps but was not easy to remove. It was eventually removed after it broke into two pieces and stretched out. The postoperative ultrasound showed an empty uterus, and the patient’s uterus felt intact to gentle exploration with the curette. The patient was apparently well at follow-up.