Neglected Foreign Body, the Cause of Navicular Osteomyelitis in A Paediatric Foot: A Case Report

Foreign body injuries with date thorns, metal and wooden splinters are common in Middle East region, as most of it is desert. Some of the injuries lead to cellulitis or abscess formation, if neglected or improperly managed results in osteomyelitis or septic arthritis of foot structures. This is the first report of isolated navicular osteomyelitis following neglected foreign body in a paediatric foot.

A 10 year old male patient presented with discharging sinus in left mid-foot 3 years after penetrating injury with wooden splinter. The diagnosis of navicular osteomelitis is confirmed with plain radio-graphs. The ultrasound of foot was done to localize the foreign bodies. Patient was treated with complete removal of foreign body (wooden splinters), surgical debridement and combination of IV and oral cloxacillin for period of 6 weeks. At 18 months follow up, patient had painless foot with no recurrence or collapse of navicular bone.

The neglected foreign body can result in osteomyelitis of small bones of foot in pediatric patient. The ultrasound is more useful tool in localizing foreign bodies; those are not radio-opaque. Early and prompt diagnosis with adequate treatment of established osteomyelitis by complete removal of foreign body, curettage and antibiotics can give good results.