WOODEN FOREIGN-BODIES IN CT - CASE-REPORTS AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES

CT findings in 2 patients with a wooden foreign body in the orbital re gion soft tissue, and a series of CT measurements of wooden elements a re presented. The wooden foreign bodies presented low HU numbers in CT and were initially interpreted as a gas collection. Different species of trees presented a large spectrum of densities, varying from the -5 50 HU of pine up to the +289 HU of ebony The density of a spruce plank increased along with water-logging from -470 HU to -86 HU in 4 weeks, and peak enhancement up to 106 HU was found in the layer closest to t he surface. It was concluded that a wooden foreign body in soft tissue s may present CT patterns simulating materials as different as a gas b ubble or a bone fragment.