A Rare Case of Craniocervical Penetrating Injury by a Steel Bar.

ABSTRACT

RATIONALE Non-missile penetrating injuries caused by foreign bodies, such as knives or sharp wood, are infrequent. We report a 49-year-old male suffering from severe craniocervical penetrating injury by a steel bar was successfully treated by surgery. CHIEF COMPLAINT The male patient was a 49-year-old builder. Although working on the construction site, an approximately 60 cm steel bar penetrated the patient's brain vertically through the left top of the head presenting with unconsciousness and intermittent irritability. DIAGNOSIS Computed tomography of the head showed the entrance and exit of the skull damaged by the steel bar. Three-dimensional reconstruction showed that the steel bar entered the skull from the posterior left coronal suture and penetrated the ipsilateral occipital bone, about 5 cm into the neck soft tissue. INTERVENTION We successfully performed the operation and removed the steel bar. OUTCOMES: The patient was followed up for 5 years; muscle strength returned to normal. LESSONS Penetrating injuries caused by steel bars are rare, which always cause severe intracranial injury combined with peripheral tissue injury, by sharing our experience in the treatment of this rare case, we hope to provide a reference for similar injuries in the future.