String Technique for Anterior Orbital Fish Hook Removal

Removing fish hooks is a common procedure performed by many emergency department providers. There are several techniques that are commonly employed to aid in successful removal. However, when a fish hook becomes embedded within the orbit, there are limited options as to avoid damaging vital surrounding structures. The authors report the removal of a fish hook within the anterior orbit using the string technique in a 25-year-old patient. The procedure was performed under general anesthesia with the aid of size 5 polyglactin suture wrapped around the hook. The procedure itself took less than 10 seconds and was successful in swiftly and safely removing the hook without damaging surrounding orbital structures. The patient recovered well without any permanent sequelae. Accepted for publication April 24, 2018. Supported by the Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, NY. The authors have no financial or conflicts of interest to disclose. Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's website (www.op-rs.com.). Address correspondence and reprint requests to David F. Patterson, M.D., Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, U.S.A. E-mail: david.f.patterson@gmail.com © 2018 by The American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Inc., All rights reserved.