A retained wood penetrating the superior orbital fissure in a neurologically intact child

Abstract

Transorbital intracranial injuries due to a wooden foreign body traversing superior orbital fissure is an extremely rare condition. A 9-year-old boy was struck by a tree branch in the left eye while playing in the garden two months ago. On physical examination, the patient had only a hypertrophic scar on his medial side of left upper eyelid at the admission. A history of recurrent cutaneous fistula from the puncture site due to a retained foreign body was suspected, and the patient was hospitalized to evaluate and remove the object to prevent severe infection. Afterwards, the child was operated successfully via the left transcranial route to detect and remove the foreign body. The authors described an unusual case of wooden foreign body that traversed the superior orbital fissure yet caused no deficit and was associated with no fracture. Even if symptoms are absent, removal of a wooden foreign body should be immediately performed to prevent sight-threatening and life-threatening complications.