An unusual parotid foreign body presenting as recurrent trismus

Impalement of an unusual foreign body on the temporomandibular joint causing severe trismus

A penetrating injury by a foreign body is comparatively common in the oral and maxillofacial region. On the other hand, injury to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) by a foreign object is very rare. The TMJ is an anatomically narrow space surrounded by hard bony processes. An unusual case of trauma with severe trismus caused by a foreign body that impaled the TMJ is reported. A 55-year-old man presented with a 5 × 1-cm laceration to the right cheek caused by a flying object propelled during the use of a lawn mower. The edge of the foreign body had a metallic wire, which became imbedded in the wound. His jaw opening was severely limited. Computed tomography revealed that the foreign body was 3 mm in diameter and was impaled on the articular capsule. The object was successfully removed, and the wound and interior of the TMJ were irrigated. Rehabilitation of mouth opening was started on postoperative day 3. On day 9, mouth opening had improved to 35 mm, and he was discharged. After 1 year, mouth opening was 45 mm with no sign of any TMJ disorders.

An unusual intraparotid foreign body simulating a tumour: shrapnel from the Spanish Civil War

A foreign body lodged for decades in the parotid gland, entering through the oral cavity or the skin, is extremely rare. Even less common is the clinical presentation of a foreign body lodged in the parotid gland simulating a tumour. The authors report the finding of a fragment of shrapnel lodged in the parotid gland for 63 years. The case is unusual owing to the rare clinical presentation, the length of time between the injury and the occurrence of symptoms and the associated mandibular osteolysis in the panoramic radiograph. Initial diagnoses considered were a tumour emerging in the parotid gland, a large odontogenic cyst or an odontogenic tumour with soft tissue extension. Sometimes neither fine needle aspiration nor radiology is capable of providing an accurate diagnosis before surgery.

A Non-Tooth-Borne Mouth-Opening Device for Postoperative Rehabilitation after Surgical Release of Trismus

BACKGROUND

The treatment of severe trismus requires a combination of surgical release and postoperative rehabilitation; the latter is essential for preventing a relapse due to postoperative inactivity and scarring. Mouth-opening devices for this purpose are placed between or fixed to the teeth to keep the dental arches apart; but patients suffering from severe trismus often present with partially or totally edentulous arches, decayed teeth, or periodontitis, which do not allow for the use of such devices.

METHODS

In this article, a new mouth-opening device is described. It applies force to two intraoral screws placed in the vestibulum of the maxillary and mandibular bones. It can be used in patients with poor dental conditions and allows rehabilitation to start immediately after trismus release.

RESULT

A case is presented. The interalveolar distance was improved from 5 mm to 45 mm and maintained at 6-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Our non-tooth-borne mouth opening device is useful for postoperative rehabilitation after surgical release of trismus.

Unusual parotid gland foreign body

A foreign body in the parotid gland whether from the oral cavity or through the skin is extremely uncommon. A case is described of the tip of a golden-colored pencil accidentally piercing the deep lobe after a fall. Emergency surgical removal was performed, and the diagnosis of the foreign body was quite easy. In contrast, determination of the location in the gland had to be done by a microscope, with fluoroscopy during the operation and was quite difficult. During removal, great attention was paid to avoiding facial nerve injury. This was done by identifying the facial trunk at the pointer using a microscope. The dissolved material including copper and zinc metal powder, paste, and clay, was found in the deep lobe associated with the surrounding abscess. Although these materials are assumed to be harmless to human tissues, the complete and immediate removal is to prevent salivary fistule resulting from inflammation.

Unlikely foreign bodies in unusual facial sites

Two cases are reported in which retained wooden foreign bodies in the facial tissues posed considerable diagnostic difficulty and were the source of persistent and distressing symptoms. In both patients the embedded foreign material defied radiological identification and in case 1 the time between injury and final removal of the foreign body was 9 years. The cases are described to highlight the problems in managing penetrating injuries when there is the possibility that radiolucent material is implanted in the wound.

Palatal trauma: an unusual cause of a parotid sinus

A case is described of a 3-year-old boy who presented with a seemingly trivial injury to his soft palate, who went on to develop a parotid sinus as a result of a retained foreign body. This is a rare clinical problem and it highlights the difficulty in the clinical assessment of a palatal injury--especially in children. The child had the foreign body removed successfully 5 months after the initial injury and made an uneventful recovery.