[Vegetable foreign body of the infratemporal fossa: a case report].

INTRODUCTION

Limited amplitude of mouth opening due to a foreign body in the infratemporal fossa is a rare event. We report a trismus due to a foreign body of vegetable origin located in the infratemporal fossa.

OBSERVATION: A 44-year-old female patient presented with a left endobuccal wound made by an oak branch. Limited amplitude of mouth opening was noted on clinical examination. A first CT scan did not reveal any foreign body. Despite an adequate treatment, the patient presented with acute cellulitis. A second CT scan revealed a parapharyngeal and masticatory compartment collection. One month after drainage, the patient spontaneously rejected the vegetable foreign bodies. An MRI better investigated the lesional diagnosis and the patient underwent surgery for the third time.

DISCUSSION: Discovering foreign bodies in the infratemporal fossa is unusual. CT scan is a useful but limited tool if foreign bodies are small and/or of weak density. MRI is the reference examination.