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An unusual air gun injury to the ethmoid sinus

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Abstract

We report an air gun pellet in the ethmoid sinus. The entrance point was concealed in the conjunctiva of the medial canthus, sparing the eye and skin. The pellet traversed the ethmoid and was stopped by the cribriform plate. It was removed by an endoscopic approach without complications. The literature is reviewed. A high index of suspicion is required to identify penetrating foreign bodies in patients walking in with low-velocity gun injuries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology and Skull Base Surgery, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK

    Khaled Badran, Holger Sudhoff & Roger Gray

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  1. Khaled Badran
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  2. Holger Sudhoff
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  3. Roger Gray
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Correspondence to Holger Sudhoff.

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Badran, K., Sudhoff, H. & Gray, R. An unusual air gun injury to the ethmoid sinus. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 264, 1253–1256 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-007-0324-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-007-0324-y

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