Porcupine Quills
You all detected the numerous quills embedded in the shoulder of this dog, described very well their appearance: thin discrete, hyperechoic interfaces with an anechoic center. Despite being there for a while, we often don’t see well-defined fluid collection along these foreign bodies. It is not uncommon with porcupine quills…making them especially difficult to detect!
During surgery, 26 quills were removed from the shoulder region under ultrasound guidance. Five additional quills were removed from the thorax (sternotomy performed).
Ultrasound is very useful in detecting foreign material during surgery. Commonly, surgeons ask our assistance and even use ultrasound to confirm that no FB is left behind…
