Management of traumatic incarceration of metal needle in the knee of children: A case series

INTRODUCTION: Foreign bodies constitute a frequent and alarming problem in pediatrics emergencies. The nature, presentation and localization of the foreign bodies are variable. Their management depends on the available technical platform. PRESENTATION OF CASES: We report three retrospective cases of traumatic embedded pieces of metal needles in the knee in a 6-year-old male, an 8-year-old female and a 5-year-old male. All the cases were successfully managed in our unit. The left side was involved in one case. X-ray and brilliance amplifier were used to diagnosing and removing the foreign bodies from the knee. The postoperative course was uneventful except in the case of the 8-year-old female who had osteoarthritis. DISCUSSION: In low-income countries, simple extraction from the soft tissue or arthrotomy could be used to removing foreign bodies in the knee as arthroscopy is often unavailable. CONCLUSION: The traumatic impalement of pieces of metal needle in the child’s knee is a rare event. The circumstances of these accidents are very difficult to reconstitute. The arthroscopy has an advantage in their extraction. However, the arthrotomy guided by brilliance amplifier remains the only alternative in low-income countries.