A Case Report of a Buried Needle in an Oculofacial Trauma

Abstract

We report a case of a 40-year-old East Asian male who presented with multiple facial lacerations and was referred to oculoplastics for periorbital assessment and wound repair. On wound closure, the needle of a 6-0 vicryl suture accidentally detached, and a mobile image intensifier was used which did not detect a foreign body. Surgical closure was done, but upon computed tomography scan of the face, an embedded foreign material was seen. Difficult secondary wound exploration was performed but with the aid of an intraoperative magnetic probe, the 11-mm needle was identified in entirety.

Recurrent Periorbital Edema Associated With Retained Foreign Body After Filler Injection

“…Two similar case reports exist in the literature, one of a retained intraorbital needle fragment following retrobulbar injection and another reporting an embedded needle that had accidentally detached from a 6-0 vicryl suture during facial laceration repair. 11,12 Interestingly, although the foreign body in this case was located unilaterally on the right side, the patient experienced bilateral periorbital swelling with clinical wax and wane of symptoms in response to minor triggers. We suggest 2 potential hypotheses for the patient's bilateral symptoms.…”