Unusual retained foreign body in the orbit

Management of penetrating medial and retro-bulbar orbital shrapnel/bullet injuries

The presence of shrapnel or a bullet lying in the medial orbital and retrobulbar area is rare. A review of the literature revealed only a few reports. Recently eye/orbital penetrating trauma has increased dramatically, mainly due to IEDs or conventional weaponry in civilian and military casualties. Our experience in the management of these types of injuries prompted this report. Practical techniques for correctly determining the location of retained projectiles in the orbit are described. Surgical techniques for treatment are presented, based on safe and successful practices used in the missile retrievals. Six shrapnel and three bullet injuries, mostly in the medial orbital region, were removed without increasing morbidity and with limited orbital tissue injury.

Ocular reconstruction after zygomatic complex fracture with retention of a foreign body

Facial injuries with the retention of foreign bodies inside the tissues, both in soft and hard ones, can cause major functional and aesthetic damage. Among the different etiological agents, cutting tools, fragments of a firearm, the splinter of wood, steel, or iron, launched by misuse, or even caused by defects in equipment, are the main cause of these injuries. The aim of this study was to discuss the peculiarity of the multidisciplinary approach in caring of a 33-year-old man, victim of an accident at work, by the rupture of an emery disc and consequent penetration of the fragments in violation of the tissues in the orbital and zygomatic region of the left side, with perforation of the eyeball and orbital-zygomatic fracture. Urgent treatment consisted of debridement of wounds, bleeding control, removal of foreign bodies, fracture reduction with rigid internal fixation, and suture, performed by the oral and maxillofacial surgical team. Reconstruction of orbital tissues by the ophthalmology team consisted of suture of the injuries. About 1 month after the trauma, phthisis bulbi was noted, and the patient underwent a new procedure under general anesthesia for eye evisceration and installation of an alloplastic prosthesis associated with the homogenous sclera. Facial harmony was restored, especially in aesthetics and function of the zygomatic-orbital complex.

Foreign bodies in facial trauma-report of 3 cases

BACKGROUND

Foreign bodies embedded deep in facial tissues presents a challenge to maxillofacial surgeons. Approximately one third of all foreign bodies are missed during initial examination. After facial trauma foreign bodies like grit particles, wooden pieces, thorns, pebbles, glass particles may get embedded into deeper facial tissues which are detected only accidently either with the help of radiographs or at a later stage when patient presents with some signs & symptoms like pain, pus discharge, sinus formation etc. Trauma to maxillofacial region especially after road traffic accidents is one of major cause of embedment of foreign body, but many of these cases go unnoticed. This article contains 3 cases of foreign bodies embedded in facial tissues.

CONCLUSION

Proper initial examination of facial lacerations with thorough debridement is very essential for finding embedded foreign bodies. Foreign bodies embedded in deeper tissues are missed by surgeon eyes, so whenever in doubt radiographs must be advised to rule out presence of foreign bodies.

[Foreign body in the orbital cone: case report]

Orbital injuries may be associated with the presence of foreign bodies in which long retention leads to damages such as loss of vision or cerebral abscess. We present the case of a 21-year-old male patient that developed ptosis, limitation of movements and an inflammatory reaction in the right eye after being hit by a tree branch. A CT scan of the orbits revealed an increased density in the right orbital cone. After the neurosurgical approach for the removal of the foreign body, a wooden fragment measuring 2.0x0.3 cm, the patient had a good outcome without visual deficits, ptosis regression and resolution of the inflammatory process. The postoperative CT scan didn't identify any remaining foreign body fragment. This case calls attention to the fact that the wooden splinter presented on CT scan with high density (136 HU) two months after the trauma and was removed by a supraorbital craniotomy.

Maxillofacial traumas

Craniofacial traumas often involve the orbital region. This report describes an unusual case of penetration of an object into the left upper oral vestibule up to the left medial-upper orbital wall. The object was an indicator switch. A multidisciplinary approach was necessary to make a correct diagnosis and to apply the best surgical treatment. The object was surgically removed, and rigid internal fixation was used to reconstruct the inferior and medial orbital walls. The aesthetic and functional results were good. One year later, the patient showed a slight enophthalmos with normal ocular motility.

Unrecognized retention of intraorbital graphite pencil fragments: the role of computerized tomography

Children with unrecognized intraorbital pencil fragments may come to attention because of surrounding abscess and granuloma formation, after a long delay, and may be suspected to have an intraorbital neoplasm. Two such patients are reported, with emphasis on CT findings. Recognition of the CT manifestations of intraorbital pencil fragments may allow a more conservative surgical intervention than that for presumed intraorbital neoplasm.