Ultrasound-Assisted Diagnosis of an Intraosseous Foreign Body in a Disc Golf-Related Injury: A Case Study

This case describes the imaging findings and clinical details of an adult man who sustained an injury to the third metacarpal and how the use of diagnostic ultrasound was used to assist in the diagnosis of an intraosseous foreign body.  A 31-year-old man presented to an urgent care with redness, swelling, and pain following a history of trauma and laceration to the dorsum of his right hand 24 hours ago. After one week of moderate improvement with oral and intramuscular antibiotic therapy, the plateaued clinical picture prompted imaging with diagnostic ultrasound, which revealed a retained foreign body within the head of the third metacarpal. A non-contrast MRI confirmed the presence of a retained foreign body and demonstrated findings concerning for osteomyelitis. Two days later, the foreign body was removed surgically without complication, and the patient was able to return to normal activities with modifications less than a week after surgery.