Imaging of foreign bodies: A radiological conundrum

Abstract

A 24-year-old woman escaped a fire by jumping from the first floor of her house onto a temporary greenhouse. She was brought into the emergency department and later treated surgically. Three years after the initial episode a tender lump in her right thigh was found during regular follow-up for her acute myeloid leukaemia, for which she was in remission. This was treated as a suspicious mass due to her haematological history and further imaging was organised. This was later identified as a piece of the greenhouse that she had landed on 7 years previously. It is a common occurrence for foreign bodies to be missed on initial examination. Fortunately the patient recovered well from her physical wounds and, more importantly, remains humorous when reflecting on her almost 7-year long battle with a piece of plastic.