Missed Diagnosis of an Intraorbital Foreign Body of Homemade Fireworks Origin: A Case Report

CT Findings of Firework Injuries to the Head and Neck

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to review the CT imaging findings of injuries in the head and neck caused by fireworks through a case series.

METHODS

The imaging database from the University of Chicago Medicine was searched with "fireworks," "firecrackers," and "mortar" as keywords and CT as the imaging modality. Cases without acute CT findings or initial CT scans were excluded.

RESULTS

Eighteen cases with acute CT findings of head and neck firework injuries were identified and included. The associated injuries included skull fractures (5, 28%), ocular injuries (7, 39%), soft tissue trauma (18, 100%), retained foreign bodies (8, 44%), and intracranial trauma (2, 11%).

CONCLUSIONS

Fireworks can cause injuries of varying severity in the head and neck, including blunt and penetrating trauma, that warrant CT evaluation.

Unusual Missed Diagnosis of Foreign Body: A Case Report

Background

Penetrating intraorbital foreign body (IOFB) is usually associated with high-velocity trauma forces around the eye. IOFB injury to globe or optic nerve is considered a surgical emergency; an immediate diagnosis and management plan is generally indicated.

Methods

A case report (design). The patient was a 78-year-old male presented with diminution of vision of the right eye following a high-velocity injury. The patient was noted to have a closed globe injury with associated retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage. An initial orbital CT scan did not reveal any IOFB, despite and intact globe. However, repeat a CT head and orbit scan revealed an intracranial magnetic foreign body lodged in the right frontal lobe.

Conclusion

A CT scan of the brain and paranasal sinuses should be obtained along with a CT orbit in case of high-velocity orbital/ocular trauma.