Abstract

Although children are frequently exposed to trauma, foreign bodies in soft tissues as a component of trauma is a rare clinical entity. A 10 year old female patient was admitted to our clinic with the complaint of limping of the right leg for a one month period following a fell down from the stairs. The patient was scoliotic and tending to keep her right thigh flexed. On physical examination there was a subcutaneous solid and tender mass with local hyperemia which measured 2 cm in diameter just below the right groin. The ultrasound and CT scans revealed a linear density in the subcutaneous fat tissue of the right groin extending to the muscle plans (foreign object?) which was orientated obliquely. Due to of the infected look of the lesion, antibiotic therapy was started and surgical exploration was planed. When the patient was readmitted for surgery, physical examination revealed that the lesion had drained spontaneously and a broken toothpick was observed in the cavity. In cases of atypically located abscesses in children, radiologically nonopaque foreign objects that can be overlooked (like pieces of wood) in soft tissues must be kept in mind.