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Soft Tissue Foreign Bodies

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Abstract

Foreign bodies (FBs) retained in the soft tissues represent a common cause for medical consultation, and usually are composed of wooden or metal splinters or glass shards. Failure to extract FBs is likely to give rise to acute or late complications, such as allergies, inflammation, or infection that may be severe. Diagnosis requires a strong index of suspicion. Conventional radiographs should be performed in order to reveal the presence of radio-opaque foreign objects in the soft tissues, but several types of radiolucent FBs, such as wood, remain undetected on plain radiograph. Ultrasonography is the modality of choice for identification of radiolucent FBs. Moreover, ultrasound-guided percutaneous removal of FBs is a safe and viable approach to the management of FBs.

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Italia

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Pinto, A., Sparano, A., Tecame, M. (2014). Soft Tissue Foreign Bodies. In: Pinto, A., Romano, L. (eds) Imaging of Foreign Bodies. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5406-6_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-5406-6_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-5405-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-5406-6

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