Fish hook foreign body in hand

Case contributed by Anson Chan
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Fish hook became embedded in the hand whilst playing and digging up sand at local beach.

Patient Data

Age: 8 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

A metallic hook is demonstrated in the soft tissues of the hand volar to the second metacarpophalangeal joint. The hook does not appear to abut or extend into the underlying bone.

Case Discussion

Plain radiograph findings demonstrating a fish hook foreign body in the hand.

The fish hook was advanced, tip and barb cut after it exited the skin, with the remainder of the hook reversed out. The patient was prescribed a course of oral antibiotics and was discharged from the Orthopedic Surgery clinic after making a full recovery.

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