Abstract
Background: Soft tissue foreign bodies (FBs) are a common occurrence in emergency
departments (EDs). Some FBs cause complications, whereas others are asymptomatic and
remain undetected for months or years. Case Report: A 32-year-old man presented to
the ED with complaints of back pain in the area of a subcutaneous lump that had migrated
toward the midline, nearly 25 cm from its former location, over the previous 2 weeks.
Twelve years previously, after falling onto a glass door that shattered, he had gone
to a local ED and had his wound sutured, but no X-ray studies were taken. Within a
few months, he noticed a lump near his scapula, but he did not relate it to the fall
and it did not bother him much. Physical examination revealed a normal neurological
examination and a palpable mass in the right paraspinal area at the level of the tenth
thoracic vertebra. An X-ray study showed a 34-mm-long sharp density in the vicinity
of the spinal canal near T10. Efforts lasting almost 2 h to identify and remove the
foreign body were unsuccessful. The following day, a 4 × 6 × 34 mm sharp glass fragment
was removed in the operating room under fluoroscopy. Conclusions: Retained soft-tissue
foreign bodies may migrate very late and can cause high morbidity or mortality. It
is important to be diligent in the search for foreign bodies, using ultrasound, computed
tomography scan, or magnetic resonance imaging in cases in which initial plain radiographs
are negative.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 27, 2008
Accepted:
April 30,
2008
Received in revised form:
March 14,
2008
Received:
July 5,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
