Acute ocular pain during magnetic resonance imaging due to retained intraocular metallic foreign body: the role of ultrasonography and ultrasound biomicroscopy in diagnosis and management of this condition.

PURPOSE: To report the case of a 65-year-old metalworker with no known history of ocular trauma, who suffered from intense ocular pain during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, due to a retained intraocular metallic foreign body (IOFB).

CASE REPORT: Meticulous ophthalmological examination was inconclusive. An IOFB was confirmed with X-ray scan, whereas its exact localization was enabled by means of ultrasonography and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite appropriate screening protocols, MRI-related ocular complications might occur in the presence of a hidden metallic IOFB. Clinical detection of ocular foreign bodies can sometimes be challenging. Ultrasonography and UBM are valuable adjuncts for the accurate localization, especially of small or hidden particles.