We report a penetrating cervical injury with a cervical phlegmon caused by a rusty steel wire. A75-year-old woman presented at our department with considerable swelling of the right cervical region. Shehad a medical history of hypertension and Parkinson's disease.
Clinical examination showed that an L-shaped steel wire had entered her neck, and pus exuded from thewound. She received antibiotic therapy and tetanus toxoid. The steel wire was extracted via the entry sitewith the patient under general anesthesia.
Foreign bodies must be removed cautiously because sharp edges may damage vital structures.
The use of CT scanning was very useful in demonstrating the course of the steel wire before extractionand in confirming the absence of continuous bleeding and hematoma. In this patient, no complication developedafter treatment.
