Intraorbital organic foreign body--a diagnostic challenge.

Intraorbital organic foreign bodies pose a diagnostic and management challenge to ophthalmologists. A high degree of suspicion of an orbital foreign body is needed when patients present with injuries to the eyelids and orbit. We present a case of retained intraorbital wooden foreign body which was initially undetected. A 10-year-old boy presented to the eye casualty with signs and symptoms suggestive of orbital cellulitis. He was started on intravenous antibiotics and urgent CT of the orbits did not reveal any foreign bodies. There was spontaneous extrusion of a wooden foreign body through the upper lid two days later, followed by spontaneous resolution of symptoms. Wood has a density similar to air and fat and can be difficult to distinguish from soft tissue in both a plain X-ray film and a computed tomogram. Clinicians should be alerted to the possibility of retention of an intraorbital foreign body in all patients presenting with periorbital trauma. The clinician should also obtain a careful history of the type of injury and should examine the patient in detail. In cases where a wooden foreign body is suspected, investigation by magnetic resonance imaging is preferred.