Orbital tumour or a retained foreign body? An uncommon case of missed diagnosis

Abstract

We report a case who presented with decreased vision, significant hypotropia, proptosis and gross limitation of extraocular motility for one year. Suspecting an orbital tumour, we asked for a computed tomography of the orbit which revealed a mass lesion in the inferior orbit. However, incisional biopsy reported inflammatory infiltration. Diagnosing it as orbital inflammatory disease, a course of oral steroids was given for four weeks. It was only after the reduction in inflammation that a foreign body was palpable in the inferior fornix. Surgical exploration revealed a large wooden foreign body measuring 3.3 × 1 × 0.3 cm. Though intraorbital foreign bodies are not rare, ambiguous history, delayed presentation and nonspecific CT findings made this case diagnostically challenging.