Presentation
Left foot laceration on dorsum aspect, cut by broken glass door.
Patient Data
Soft tissue laceration and air pockets are seen in the dorsum of the left midfoot, with several radiopaque foreign bodies projected adjacent to MTP joints, largest up to 3.4 mm. No fracture detected. Os navicular noted.
Case Discussion
In the department that the patient presented at, a lateral foot image is considered an additional projection in the foot series, unless clinically indicated for the location of foreign bodies or presence of air in soft tissue.
However, once the true lateral foot image was obtained, it was clear that the image did not fully showcase all glass foreign bodies on the dorsum aspect of the foot.
Hence, an additional tangential image was obtained and demonstrated the findings well. This proves the usefulness of an orthogonal projection in trauma imaging apart from the routine views. If possible, a radiopaque arrow marker or pen can be useful in marking out the site of injury, especially when the foreign bodies may be of a more radiolucent nature.
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