Q: I had an unfortunate incident of an assault by a drunkard with a glass bottle. I was hit with a beer bottle on the head and forehead/face. I had stitches. There were some bruises on the head and face. I also had an MRI done. Luckily there was no problem. What I am concerned is if some minute glass pieces could have gone inside, maybe on the face or on the head where I was hit. Actually I was cleaned in the hospital and the doctor put stitches. Since I have this doubt, doctor asked me to get an x- ray done for the head to totally clear the doubt. But I am worried as I would be getting exposed to x-rays. The MRI did not have any problems but the doctor is not sure whether MRI shows minute glass pieces. My question is does the MRI show minute glass pieces inside and is it safe to have an x-ray done? If some minute glass pieces are present inside, do they need to be removed or they can be left?

A:If there was no glass shown on the MRI you can be sure there are no significant pieces left. Very occasionally minute pieces make their way to the surface over time but this is nothing to worry about. Do nothing. There is no harm from minute fragments of glass and the scan would indicate that there are none anyway.