ULTRASOUND FOR THE DETECTION OF VEGETATIVE FOREIGN BODY IN HAND — A CASE REPORT

Retained wooden splinter migrated within a digital flexor tendon sheath: Ultrasonographic diagnosis for presurgical planning

A 29-year-old right-handed woman presented to an outside emergency department with right small finger pain, swelling, and concern for a retained wooden splinter. Diagnosis and treatment were delayed for 2 weeks due to the inability to identify the foreign body clinically or radiographically. Ultimately, ultrasonography by a fellowship-trained specialist was used to localize the wooden splinter. It was embedded within the flexor tendon sheath but had migrated away from its initial point of entry. The patient underwent subsequent surgical extraction, irrigation, and debridement. Two weeks following surgery, she had regained full range of motion through her digit without signs of infection. This case highlights the use of diagnostic ultrasound to identify a radiolucent foreign body, such as a wooden splinter, and to guide subsequent surgical extraction.

Management of huge and extraordinary metal-penetrating injuries to the hand

Objective

Foreign-body and penetration injuries of the hand are common emergencies. Metallic foreign bodies are common among all foreign masses; however, the examination of huge bodies differs from that of other metallic masses. The purpose of this study was to clarify an algorithm for the management of the huge metallic masses via our therapeutic approaches for metal-penetrating injuries.

Material and Methods

Seven patients who had a huge, metallic object-penetration injury to their upper extremity were included in our study. Patients were classified according to the age, injury type, character of metallic body, injury zone, diagnostic methods, anesthesia type, and treatment received, and an algorithm to approach the management of foreign metallic bodies was clarified.

Results

The causes of injury were knitting hook, iron fence, mixer, and metal nail. Plain radiography was performed for all patients. Prophylactic tetanus was administered and urgent exploration in the operation room under tourniquet followed by foreign-body extraction through cutting and not pulling were conducted. No residue was retained.

Conclusion

Many patients referred to emergency services with foreign bodies. For diagnosis, the patient's history and a minimum of two-way radiograms are crucial. For treatment, we recommend surgical exploration under general anesthesia and tourniquet and extraction of the metallic body by cutting and not pulling without retaining any residual mass in the operation room.

Case report and brief review of literature on sonographic detection of accidentally implanted wooden foreign body causing persistent sinus

Despite advances in imaging techniques, the detection of vegetative foreign bodies in soft tissues remains a difficult and sometimes even a challenging task. Clinical evaluation of such patient may present several months or even years after the initial injury and clinician may fail to elicit an antecedent skin puncture. X-ray examination will miss radiolucent foreign bodies. A 15-year-old boy presented with a draining non-healing sinus at the lateral aspect of his right thigh for 9 months. Musculoskeletal ultrasonography was ordered after ruling out chronic osteomyelitis to detect possible lesions around the thigh. High-frequency linear ultrasonic probe readily detected an elongated foreign body within the vastus lateralis muscle. A long piece of wood was confirmed at surgery. Non-healing sinus with normal finding in radiograph following old trauma should raise the suspicion of implanted radiolucent foreign body/bodies. The role of diagnostic ultrasound as a valuable screening tool for the detection of foreign body is briefly reviewed.

Radial artery pseudoaneurysm caused by occult retained glass from a hand laceration

Retained soft tissue foreign bodies are an area of potentially serious complications. Glass presents unique problems; however, conventional radiography is usually sufficient for its identification. We present the case of a 15-year-old adolescent boy who had several imaging modalities, which failed to identify a large glass fragment. The patient subsequently developed a radial artery pseudoaneurysm, which required surgical repair. The existing evidence regarding the performance of clinical examination and various imaging modalities to identify foreign bodies is presented.