Retained foreign body mimicking sciatica.

Dear Editor, Soft tissue foreign bodies (FBs) are a common occurrence in emergency departments. Not all FBs are discovered during the initial patient encounter; several signs reveal the presence of a retained FB in a wound.1 Some FBs cause significant problems, including infl ammation, chronic pain and repeat visits, whereas some FBs are asymptomatic and remain undetected for months or years. We report a case of a retained FB in the right buttock mimicking sciatica in an 83-year-old woman who presented with low back pain radiating to the right lower leg.