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Reminder of important clinical lesson
A minor lid laceration concealing a potentially life-threatening injury
  1. Lamis Abdelaziz1,
  2. Ramez Barbara2,
  3. David Scullion1,
  4. Edel Cosgrave1,
  5. Timothy Metcalfe1
  1. 1Ophthalmology Department, Harrogate District Hospital, Harrogate, UK
  2. 2Ophthalmology Department, Bnai Zion Medical Centre, Haifa, Israel
  1. Correspondence to Dr Lamis Abdelaziz, lamisabdelaziz{at}doctors.org.uk

Summary

A 29-year-man presented with an injury to his left upper lid, having stumbled onto the tip of a pool cue. He presented with minimal signs and symptoms, initially thought as a minor lid laceration and was managed with lid suturing. Two months later, he presented with vertical diplopia on upward gaze and showed a picture consistent with traumatic Brown’s syndrome. Subsequent imaging revealed the extent of orbital injury and confirmed a retained foreign body embedded in the frontal lobe of the brain. This was surgically removed and found to represent the tip of the pool cue. Postoperatively, the patient made a good recovery, although he still has a slight residual diplopia on upward gaze.

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Footnotes

  • Competing interests None.

  • Patient consent Obtained.