Metallic foreign body embedded in the cheek for 20 years

Area of Science:

• Oral pathology
• Foreign body reactions
• Tissue engineering

Background:

• Foreign objects retained in tissues can elicit unique biological responses.
• Long-term tissue reactions to metallic foreign bodies are not well-documented.
• Understanding these responses is crucial for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Observation:

• A patient presented with a knife blade embedded in the cheek for more than two decades.
• The surrounding tissue exhibited signs of chronic proliferative inflammation.
• Microscopic examination revealed iron corrosion products within the tissue.

Findings:

• The chronic inflammation led to the formation of iron corrosion products from the embedded blade.
• Inflammatory cells, specifically phagocytes, were observed to have engulfed these iron particles.
• This represents a unique long-term foreign body reaction involving metallic degradation and cellular sequestration.

Implications:

• This case highlights the body's capacity to encapsulate and react to long-term foreign body presence.
• The findings contribute to the understanding of metallosis and chronic inflammation.
• Further research could explore the long-term consequences and potential interventions for such unique cases.