Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jul-Dec;17(3 & 4):127-130.
doi: 10.4103/ajps.AJPS_22_20.

Retained wooden foreign body in groin in a child: A case report and review of literature

Enono Yhoshu  1 , Gyanendra Chaudhary  1 , Manish Kumar Gupta  1
Affiliations
Review

Retained wooden foreign body in groin in a child: A case report and review of literature

Enono Yhoshu et al. Afr J Paediatr Surg. 2020 Jul-Dec.

Abstract

Wooden foreign body (WFB) injuries in children are common. They may report with acute presentation or be delayed as retained foreign body giving rise to complications. Cases with superficial skin penetration by these foreign bodies and acute presentation may be convenient to diagnose and remove. However, localising deeply impacted and chronically retained WFB is challenging, as they are usually not radiopaque and have a tendency to move deeper into the surrounding soft tissues with time. Foreign body retained for prolonged duration may present with either cellulitis, deep tissue infections, sinus, restriction of joint movements, necrotising fasciitis, osteomyelitis or tumour-like mass. We present an 8-year-old boy with discharging sinuses in the right iliac fossa and medial aspect of the right upper thigh, due to an impacted WFB for 3 months. Prompt radiological imaging and surgical removal helped him recover completely.

Keywords: Discharging sinus; impacted; penetrating injury; wooden foreign body.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical picture of the patient showing previous surgery scar in right inguinal area and discharging sinuses in lateral scar and right medical thigh (white arrows)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Computed tomography scan abdomen and pelvis showing (a) coronal cut – wooden foreign body (white arrow) with bulky psoas, iliacus and pectineus and right lateral wall of the urinary bladder; (b) transverse cut – cut section of wooden foreign body (white arrow) with bulky surrounding muscles
Figure 3
Figure 3
Intraoperative pictures showing (a) opened wound with a metal probe through the sinus tract (shown by 2 white arrows) and wooden foreign body placed on the white sponge; (b) measurements of the wooden foreign body
Figure 4
Figure 4
Algorithm for diagnosis and management of radiolucent foreign body
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Halaas GW. Management of foreign bodies in the kin. Am Fam Physician. 2007;76:683–90. - PubMed
    1. Ochiai H, Yamakawa Y, Fukushima T, Yamada H. Neuroimaging of a wooden foreign body retained for 5 months in the temporalis muscle following penetrating trauma with a chopstick–case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 1999;39:744–7. - PubMed
    1. Yanay O, Vaughan DJ, Diab M, Brownstein D, Brogan TV. Retained wooden foreign body in a child's thigh complicated by severe necrotizing fasciitis: A case report and discussion of imaging modalities for early diagnosis. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2001;17:354–5. - PubMed
    1. Lammers RL, Magill T. Detection and management of foreign bodies in soft tissue. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 1992;10:767–81. - PubMed
    1. Anderson MA, Newmeyer WL, 3rd, Kilgore ES., Jr Diagnosis and treatment of retained foreign bodies in the hand. Am J Surg. 1982;144:63–7. - PubMed