Endophthalmitis due to an intra-ocular linear foreign body in a cat

An unusual case of an intraocular linear foreign body that migrated from the oral cavity, causing a severe endophthalmitis, in a cat is described. A 2-year-old female domestic shorthair cat presented with signs of infection from the left eye that had begun 2 weeks previously. Despite having been prescribed oral and topical antibiotics, there was a progressive worsening of the clinical signs. On ophthalmic examination the cat presented with severe endophthalmitis, secondary glaucoma and exposure keratitis of the left eye. Radiography demonstrated the presence of an intraocular linear metallic foreign body compatible with a sewing needle. During enucleation, when the globe was extracted, the sewing needle stayed in the orbit. When the needle was pulled away, a piece of thread was also retrieved, which demonstrated that the linear foreign body had migrated retrogradely from the oral cavity to the orbit through the pterygopalatine fossa. Surgical recovery was uneventful.

Intraocular foreign bodies may present in a variety of ways, which may hinder their clinical detection. The management and prognosis depend on the composition and location of the foreign body, as well as the possible presence of secondary infection. To the author's knowledge, this is the first time that a case of severe endophthalmitis following retrograde intraocular migration of a linear foreign body from the oral cavity to the orbit through the pterygopalatine fossa in a cat has been reported.