Wooden foreign body missed on imaging - Takeaways - MDSpire

Undetected Wooden Foreign Object in Imaging Studies

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1

A 69-year-old man with diabetes presented with severe left foot pain and a puncture wound after stepping on a sharp object.
2

Imaging studies including CT and MRI failed to identify a foreign body, while ultrasound revealed a vertical shadow at the puncture site.
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Surgical exploration revealed a 1.8 cm wooden toothpick, and cellulitis resolved after treatment with oral antibiotics.
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Approximately 80% of foreign bodies are visible on plain radiographs, but wood is undetectable in 86% of cases.
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Point-of-care ultrasound is the preferred imaging modality for detecting retained wooden foreign bodies due to its high sensitivity.