Soft tissue foreign bodies

Foreign bodies embedded in soft tissue can cause toxic and allergic reactions, inflammation, or infection, but the severity of these complications varies widely. Removal can be difficult and time consuming, and the potential damage to tissues caused by the procedure must be weighed against the risk posed by a particular foreign body. Plain and mammographic radiography, xeroradiography, computed tomography, and ultrasonography can be used to detect foreign bodies suspected during clinical evaluation. The exact position of an object buried in soft tissue is difficult to determine using two-dimensional imaging techniques. Surface markers, multiple-projection radiographs, wire grids, fluoroscopy, or stereotaxic devices may help to locate it. Not all foreign bodies are discovered during the initial patient encounter; several signs reveal the presence of a retained foreign body in a wound.