Ultrasound-guided removal of foreign bodies: personal experience

Foreign bodies (FBs) retained in the soft tissues are a common reason for medical consultation, and usually consist of wooden or metal splinters or glass shards. Failure to remove foreign bodies is likely to give rise to acute or late complications, such as allergies, inflammation or infection, that may be severe. The surgical removal of an FB is invasive, costly and technically challenging. The procedure may fail in some cases and carries the risk of complications. Our study describes a technique for the ultrasound-guided removal of an FB, devised from our experience, and demonstrates its advantages over the standard surgical procedure. Sixty-two patients (43 males and 19 females aged from 9 to 65 years, median age 31 years) presented at our institution between October 2005 and June 2008 with suspected foreign bodies retained in the soft tissues of various body districts. Radiographic and/or ultrasound diagnosis was established by a radiologist expert in musculoskeletal sonography. The same radiologist helped by a nurse subsequently undertook the ultrasound-guided removal in the outpatient’s clinic according to the technique described in the paper. ATL 5000 and PHILIPS iu22 ultrasound systems were used with high-frequency linear-array probes, sterile material, local anaesthetic (lidocaine 2%), scapels and surgical forceps. Antibiotic prophylaxis with amoxicillin and clavulanic acid were prescribed to all patients for 7 days after the procedure. Ninety-five FBs (39 glass, 35 metal, 17 vegetable, 2 plastic, 2 stone) were successfully removed under ultrasound guidance in all patients and the procedure took between 15 and 30 min. No complications arose either during or after the procedure. Seventy-five skin incisions were made and the wounds closed with Steri-Strips in 73/75 cases, whereas skin sutures were used in 2/75 cases. No complications arose either during or after the procedure. Ultrasound-guided removal of an FB retained in the soft tissues is a good alternative to surgery as is its relatively straightforward, inexpensive, repeatable and carries a low risk of complications. In addition, failure to remove an FB does not preclude traditional surgical removal. The advantages of this real-time procedure and the use of small instruments minimize bleeding time and avoid injury to surrounding structures. Patient compliance is enhanced by the fact that the procedure has little or no aesthetic impact. These encouraging results suggest ultrasound-guided removal as a first-choice procedure for the extraction of foreign bodies.