A 25-year-old man presents to the emergency department (ED) with a right forearm laceration that he sustained from a piece of glass during a bar fight. He complains of pain at the laceration site but denies a foreign body sensation. On examination, the laceration is superficial and 4 cm long. The patient demonstrates intact strength and sensation distally. Which of the following statements regarding imaging this patient is true?
a. Imaging can be omitted because he does not have a foreign body sensation.
b. Imaging is not indicated because retained glass does not cause an inflammatory reaction.
c. Plain film is the next best step in the management of this patient.
d. Computed tomographic (CT) scan is the most commonly used modality to rule out a foreign body.
e. Plain film cannot rule out bone, teeth, or glass in soft tissue.
