Retained foreign needle in the thoracic spinal canal in a child: Case report

Abstract

Background: The presence of retained foreign bodies in the spinal canal has been reported in the literature. They are attributed to retained pieces of medical equipment after surgery, or, following trauma, to residual bullets, glass fragments, or knife blades. Although some retained materials do not cause any neurological deficits in the short run, others may become symptomatic months later. Case Description: A 2-year-old male presented with a history of intermittent fever and mild lower extremity weakness. Notably, the original infectious workup was negative. However, a noncontrast CT scan later documented a needle-shaped foreign body in the spinal canal at the T10 level. During the T10 laminectomy, a needle (i.e. from a medical syringe) was removed, the patient remained neurologically intact. The foreign body turned out to be a medical syringe needle tip. Conclusion: A 2-year-old male presented with fevers and mild lower extremity weakness attributed to an intraspinal needle tip found utilizing CT at the T10 level. T10 laminectomy allowed for removal of a small needle tip. This shows the importance of removing retained spinal foreign bodies to avoid further/future neurological injury, and/or the potential risks/complications of foreign body migration/sequestration.