Presentation
Deep lacerations to the lateral aspect of the wrist following the car accident, with suspected glass remaining.
Patient Data
Age: 35 years
Gender: Male
From the case:
Wrist foreign body - glass
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A fracture is seen in the distal part of the 5th metacarpal with mild volar-ward distal angulation.
Additionally, at least six small radio-opaque foreign bodies are seen in the lateral soft tissue of the wrist without adjacent bone fracture, suggesting glass particles.
Case Discussion
Glass is a common foreign body found in emergency departments; despite common misconception, glass pieces larger than 2 mm in diameter will always be visible on plain film radiography regardless of their composition.
Glass particles were removed surgically, and the distal 5th metacarpal fracture was fixed in this patient.