Foreign Bodies in a Facial Wound: A Case Report and Review of Relevant Literature

Abstract

Background: Retained foreign bodies in soft tissue wounds are common phenomena with an incidence of 38%; they are usually missed on initial evaluation. In the oro-facial region, retained foreign body within the masseter muscle is a relatively rare occurrence.

Objective: To report a case of symptomatic retained foreign body within the masseter muscle

Case Description: Presented here is a case of a 24-year-old female who presented with left sided facial pain and difficulty in mouth opening following a history of facial trauma and treatment. The aetiology was fall in a flooded environment in an otherwise healthy individual. Treatment was said to be debridement and wound closure. Whereas the external wound healed satisfactorily, patient presented with two weeks later with pain andtrismus.Investigationwithplainradiographsrevealedradiopaqueforeignbodies.Following exploration, pieces of glasses of various sizes were recovered.

Conclusion: This case is serve as a reminder to practitioners of the importance of diligent exploration of skin and soft tissue wounds for possible foreign bodies. Secondly, the importance of immediate post trauma images to rule out embedded foreign bodies in tissues is brought to the fore.

Keywords: Foreign body, masseter muscles, trismus, pieces of glass