Objective: To show the value of ultrasonography (US) in the detection and loaclization of clinically
unsuspected foreign bodies (FBs) appearing as soft tissue masses.
Patients and Methods: US suggested the presence of FBs in 21 patients out of the 254 patients who
underwent US examination for evaluation of soft tissue masses. The history and clinical examination were
not suggestive of the presence of FB. Operative exploration was performed for 20 patients and one patient
showed spontaneous extrusion of FB. The operative exploration proved the presence of Fas in 18 patients
while two patients had negative exploration, therefore 19 patients proved to have FB (18 patients after
operative exploration and one patient with spontaneous extrusion of FB). On US, the area of interest was
scanned with attention to detection of a FB and its associated posterior acoustic shadowing. The surrounding
soft tissues were also examined for associated soft-tissue complications. After FB detection, localization of
FB was accomplished by using anatomic landmarks, ink marks on the skin and needle markers. Following
the US examination, the area in question was surgically explored and sonographic findings were compared
with the operative details and the efficacy of US was evaluated in relation to its accuracy in detecting and
localizing the FBs. |
