Vol.97 No.9 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 97 No.9 September 2004
A Case of Foreign Body Penetrating to the
Temporal Muscle from the Oral Cavity
Aya Maruko, Hiroshi Ogawa, Yukio Nomoto,
Mutsumi Watanabe and Koichi Omori
(Fukushima Medical University)
Penetrating injuries of the oral cavity sometimes occur in children. In most cases, the injury is superficial; however, the foreign body sometimes penetrates deeply into the head and neck tissue and has to be removed surgically. We report a case of a foreign body stuck into the temporal muscle from the oral cavity.
A 2-year-old girl presented with a penetrating injury of the oral cavity by a chopstick. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a foreign body in the temporal muscle. Surgical procedure was performed immediately and the wooden fragment was removed. The postoperative course was uneventful. Penetrating injury in the temporal muscle has not been reported yet. It should be noted that if the tip of the foreign body is not found CT should be immediately performed.
Key words : temporal muscle, penetrating injury, chopstick, CT