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Updated: Aug 28, 2025

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Orbital Fractures
Published on: May 16, 2025
Sino-orbital foreign body caused by a slingshot injury in a young boy
Kenneth Lai1, Juliet Laycock2, Adam Bates3
1ENT, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Tunbridge Wells, UK k.lai@doctors.org.uk.
Abstract:
Slingshots or hand catapults, historically used as a military or hunting weapon, are common toys among children and young teenagers. Their use can be dangerous as a strike to the eye or orbit can result in significant injuries including blindness. We describe a rare case of a sino-orbital foreign body caused by a slingshot injury in a young boy. The case was managed by a multidisciplinary team involving ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology and paediatrics, and the foreign body of a metal ball bearing was removed using an endoscopic transnasal approach. Although the patient made a good recovery, the case highlights the danger of slingshot devices misused by children.
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