Computed tomography settings for optimal detection of wooden foreign bodies

To the Editor, The radiological detection of wooden foreign bodies is difficult, because plain X-rays cannot detect wooden foreign bodies and ultrasound is useful only for soft tissue foreign body detection [1]. [...]wooden foreign bodies sometimes go undiagnosed using the standard window and level settings on CT. Because dry wood is filled with air, the CT number thereof is close to that of air; therefore, when using standard window and level settings (window width, 100 Hounsfield units [HU]; window level, 35 HU), the CT number of wooden foreign bodies is below the range of CT numbers that are displayed on gray-scale, and wooden foreign bodies thus mimic air.