Wooden Foreign Body in the Parotid Gland

Purpose: Now the CT scanner and PACS program proved to be an excellent instrument for detection and localization of most facial foreign bodies above certain minimum levels of detectability. The severity of injury in penetrating trauma on the face is often underestimated in physical examination. Wood, with its porous consistency and organic nature, provides a good medium for microbial agents. This is a report of our recent experience with wooden foreign bodies in the parotid gland imaged with CT. Methods: A 9-year-old boy was referred for evaluation of possible retained foreign body within his face. One day earlier, he had fallen, face down approximately 1 miter onto ground. He had subsequently undergone an exploration of his right parotido-masseteric area at an outside hospital with repair of a right facial laceration. Enhanced 2 mm axial and coronal CT scans were obtained through the face. Axial and coronal CT images were obtained with a General Electric(Milwaukee, Wis) 9800 CT scanner at 130 kV, 90 mA, with a 2 mm section thickness. Results: We finally decided the linear "gas" attenuation was a foreign body because of its linear configuration, which did not conform to that of an anatomic structure, and on the basis of articles that described a wood foreign body in the orbit as having the appearance of air. We found that wood was hypoattenuating($-464{\pm}27HU$). Conclusion: We recommend this type of software program for CT scanning for any patient with an injury on the face in which a foreign body is suspected.

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