All published articles of this journal are available on ScienceDirect.

CASE REPORT

Retained Foreign Body in a Diabetic Patient’s Hand

The Open Orthopaedics Journal 14 June 2018 CASE REPORT DOI: 10.2174/1874325001812010203

Abstract

Background:

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy puts patients at increased risk of acute injury by foreign bodies and also contributes to delayed presentation and diagnosis.

Case report:

We describe a 57-year-old patient with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes who presented with a three-week history of worsening swelling and erythema in the metacarpophalangeal joint of his left thumb. He denied any previous trauma or injury and was initially treated with intravenous antibiotics. Subsequent imaging revealed septic arthritis and osteomyelitis secondary to a retained foreign body, which was surgically removed in theatre.

Conclusion:

This is the first reported case of a retained foreign body in the hand of a diabetic patient, and demonstrates the importance of early radiological imaging of peripheral limb injuries in high-risk patients.

Keywords: Diabetic neuropathy, Foreign body retention, Osteomyelitis, Diabetes mellitus, Case report.
Fulltext HTML PDF ePub
1800
1801
1802
1803
1804