Occult orbital penetrating injury by plastic straw hidden in birthday cake: A case report
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Occult foreign bodies consist of foreign material that remains undetected in the body for weeks, months, or even years. In this case report, we document a unique case in which a patient retained a hidden, occult orbital plastic foreign body for eighteen months following a trauma during which the patient's face struck into a birthday cake. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 33-year-old male presented to the emergency department with acute right periorbital swelling, pain, and erythema eighteen months after his face struck into a birthday cake. Eighteen months prior, the patient reported experiencing only a small superonasal eyelid laceration at the time of the trauma with no other symptoms and stated that the laceration healed nicely following the incident. Upon examination in the emergency department, a blue plastic straw was observed protruding superonasally from the right upper eyelid, accompanied by periorbital edema, erythema, and purulent fluid emanating from the straw. The size and location of the straw was confirmed with computerized tomography of the orbit. The patient underwent surgical removal of the 28 mm foreign body and recovered well. DISCUSSION: Orbital foreign bodies can present asymptomatically, with sometimes only a minor laceration as a clue. If the foreign body misses crucial structures of the orbit, the patient will retain full extraocular motion and vision until the body begins rejecting the material. The body may not begin to reject the material until weeks, months, or years later if the foreign body is of an inert material such as plastic. This case underscores the importance of obtaining a thorough history and maintaining a high index of suspicion for foreign bodies of the orbit after a trauma. CONCLUSION: This case provides insight into the dangers of smashing faces into cakes as a prank or as a celebration, as there are often support structures in the cake that pose dangers to the anatomy of the face, including the globe and orbit. This case report adds to the minimal amount of existing literature regarding plastic orbital foreign bodies.
Authors: Shelly Rauser, Dalbert Chen, Douglas Van Putten
Institutions: Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda University
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,090
OpenAlex ID: W4413115579