An Unusual Complication of Bone Wax Utilization

Bone wax is a commonly used hemostatic agent with minimal complications. Some of the known complications include inflammation, granuloma formation, infection, and impaired osteogenesis. Several clinical reports of bone wax migration have also been reported. In this paper, the authors present a rare patient of bone wax migration intracranially in a 6-year-old patient who initially underwent craniotomy for the evacuation of subdural hematoma and repair of depressed skull fracture. The patient then underwent craniotomy scalp scar revision several months later. Postoperatively he developed short-term memory loss, apraxia, and word finding difficulties. The imaging findings were consistent with the presence of a foreign body centered in the posterior aspect of the left middle temporal gyrus, which was surgically removed and found to be bone wax. The patient recovered well with complete improvement of his neurologic symptoms. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Artur Fahradyan, MD, Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd#96, Los Angeles, CA 90027; E-mail: afahradyan@chla.usc.edu Received 12 September, 2017 Accepted 16 November, 2017 The authors report no conflicts of interest. © 2018 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.

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