Citation

Take Y, Ikeda T, Kikkawa Y, Kamide T, Yoshikawa S, Hurumine H, Nemoto M, Kurita H. Neurotraumatol. 2019; 42(1): 54-58.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Japan Society of Neurotraumatology)

DOI

10.32187/neurotraumatology.42.1_54

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Penetrating head injury is rare. It is reported due to damage by bullets in Europe and the United States, however, in Japan most of such cases are reported owing to damage caused by everyday items, such as chopsticks. Penetration pathway may include the orbit, nasal cavities, oral cavity, skull base, etc. The extent of brain damage depends on the penetration route. Here, we report a case of a 1-year-old boy with an intra­cranial injury that penetrated the skull base caused by a chopstick. The child fell down and got injured while holding chopsticks. The chopstick penetrated the sphenoid between the cheekbones and the maxillary bones reaching the middle cranial fossa and the frontal lobe through the temporal lobe. Head computed tomo­graphy (CT) and CT angiography were performed to evaluate penetration route, presence of chopstick pieces, and presence of vascular injury. In an emergency operation, we removed the chopstick, washed, and closed the dura. After operation, antibiotics were infused. Post-treatment complications such as obvious infection and stroke were not observed, and he was dis­charged with good progress.

Language: ja

Keywords

Chopsticks; Penetrating head injury; Skull base