Wooden foreign body in the forearm--presentation after eight years.

We report herein a case in which symptoms appeared eight years after the apparent trauma, which had been forgotten. Surgery yielded a wooden foreign body in the forearm. A 10-year-old boy presented with a six-week history of pain followed by swelling in his left forearm occurring after a trivial blunt trauma, with occasional bouts of fever. There was an oval swelling (7 cm x 3 cm) on the posterolateral aspect of the upper third of the left forearm. Tenderness, increased local temperature and elicitable fluctuation, with no scars or wounds (signs of trauma), were noted. Radiographs of the forearm revealed a soft tissue swelling but no fracture, periosteal reaction or other bony lesion. Aspiration of the swelling yielded purulent material (gram stain negative). The abscess was drained and exploration of the cavity revealed a 14 mm long slender wooden foreign body embedded in granulation tissue. On retrospective enquiry, the family reported that the child had sustained a penetrative injury eight years before after falling on a broomstick. Presence of a foreign body must be kept in mind while investigating a suspicious swelling on the extremities. A thorough history and careful imaging are the keys to diagnosis.