Citation

Press Y, Peleg R. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2016; 94(5): 1182-1183.

Affiliation

Department of Family Medicine, Siaal Family Medicine and Primary Care Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Clalit Health Services, Southern District, Beer-Sheva, Israel pelegr@bgu.ac.il.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Publisher American Society of Tropical Medicine)

DOI

10.4269/ajtmh.15-0834

PMID

26903615

Abstract

Injury from the thorn of a palm tree is characterized by a prolonged, painful inflammatory reaction. Even when the source of the inflammation is diagnosed, appropriate treatment is usually delayed because family doctors are not familiar with the entity. Penetration of a palm thorn into the earlobe is an unrecognized cause of local inflammation. We describe a case of injury from a palm tree thorn in this uncommon site. We present the technique of transillumination for the identification and removal of the palm thorn.

Language: en