ABSTRACT

Rising fi rearms brutality has been causing much public worry in Turkey. Gunshot wounds to the head have become a main cause of death and permanent neurological disabilities. Computed tomography scans are the gold standard of imaging for gunshot wounds to the head. Patients with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of more than 8 or brain lesions limited to a single lobe of the brain can benefi t from early surgery. Mortality rates in the literature diff er from 23% to 92% and are signifi cantly higher in patients admitted in a poor neurological status. The doctors who face the victims in emergency rooms must take an additional active role in formulating and maintaining new public health policies which aim to reduce the prevalence of gunshot injuries. In this paper we report a case in which the victim is an eight year old boy who had a complete recovery after receiving a gunshot wound to the head.

Keywords: Gunshot Injury, cranial, surgery