Case Report

An Unusual Penetrating Head Trauma

10.4170/jaem.2009.35220

  • Mürteza ÇAKIR
  • Zeynep ÇAKIR
  • Mücahit EMET
  • Sahin ASLAN
  • Mustafa UZKESER
  • Çetin Refik KAYAOĞLU

Received Date: 11.11.2008 Accepted Date: 21.11.2008 Eurasian J Emerg Med 2009;8(2):43-45

Backround:

Penetrating injuries, except for ones caused by fire arms, may lead to limited damage due to low penetration speed.

Case:

A 35-year-old male patient was brought to our clinic due to penetration of a nail to his head following falling down in the construction site where he was working. There were no focal or lateralizing neurological findings, nor were there any pathology related to the fundus of the eye. On the computed brain tomography, it was observed that the nail had penetrated from the lateral orbital wall into the orbita and it had reached the medial orbital wall by crossing the bulbus and orbital nerve. The patient underwent neurosurgery and ophthalmology consultations and an urgent operation was planned. No complications related to the wound or the operation occurred.

Conclusion:

The purpose of surgery in penetrating head injuries is removal of the penetrating object and the debridement of the affected tissues following the emergent stabilization of the patient. Although intracranial and transorbital penetrating injuries tend to lead to local tissue damage, clinicians also should be focused on late complications.

Keywords: Trauma, Penetrating Head ‹njuries, Trans Orbital Foreign Body, Nail