Subungual wooden splinter visualized with bedside sonography

Bedside ultrasound has become increasingly important as an adjunct to clinical diagnosis and procedures in the emergency department. It is only recently that this modality, which involves no ionizing radiation, has become incorporated into the pediatric emergency department. We report a case of a 10-year-old boy with a suspected subungual wooden foreign body. Bedside ultrasound was used to identify and characterize the foreign body before removal and then to evaluate for any residual foreign body after removal. A brief review of the technique is presented, including the use of a water bath to enhance visualization of the object and decrease the patient's discomfort. This case highlights the utility of ultrasound in detecting radiolucent soft tissue foreign bodies.