'Radiopaque' Foreign Bodies

Abstract

To the Editor.— Foreign bodies are a common emergency room problem. Diagnosis and treatment frequently are relatively simple, especially if the object is radiopaque. We recently had a case that demonstrates a possible diagnostic hazard. Report of a Case.— After an altercation, with a classmate, a 13-year-old boy arrived at the Clinton Primary Care Center with a ball-point pen embedded in his palate. His vital signs were stable, and results of physical examination showed only a blue pen projecting approximately 15 cm from his palate. X-ray films were taken (Fig 1 and 2). The area was anesthetized with 1% lidocaine with epinephrine, and the pen was extracted. It was noted that the pen had a plastic cap and was thus several centimeters longer than shown in the X-ray films (Fig 3 and 4). The patient was given 0.5 ml of tetanus toxoid, and therapy with phenoxymethyl penicillin, 250 mg four