Abstract
Puncture wounds in children are very common and often result in foreign body retention.
Organic materials in the form of plant thorns present problems in identification and
localization because they are not visualized with plain radiographs. A case of a 10-year-old
girl with a small piece of retained hawthorn is presented. Correct diagnosis and treatment
were delayed because of misinterpretation of magnetic resonance image studies. Ultrasound
ultimately located the foreign body, and assisted in its excision. Plant thorns may
be toxic and produce an intense local inflammatory response. In the case described
in this article, deep infection caused by Enterobacter cloacae and Pantoea agglomerans was associated with the retained thorn. The small size of the foreign body, misinterpretation
of diagnostic images, and the deep infection highlight the challenges that can be
encountered by physicians managing puncture wounds in children.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 04, 2009
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
