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Indirect gunshot wound to the head

  • Brief Report of a Special Case
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Abstract

Background

An Afghani man presented to a U.S. military facility in Afghanistan with a 3-month history of clear fluid from his left naris and frequent sinusitis. Eleven years earlier, he had been struck in the forehead by an object falling from the sky.

Materials and Methods

Neurologic examination revealed decreased sensation in V1 and V2 on the left side. Imaging revealed a large bullet lodged in the left maxillary sinus.

Findings

The bullet was removed via sublabial incision and opening of the anterior bony wall of the maxillary sinus.

Conclusions

In Afghanistan, indirect gunshot wounds to the head are not uncommon because of the constant war conditions since the invasion by the former Soviet Union in 1979 and the tradition of firing rounds into the air during cultural celebrations.

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Reference

  1. Bonds R (1986) The illustrated directory of modern Soviet weapons. Prentice Hall, New York

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Acknowledgments

We thank Kristin Kraus, M.Sc., for her editorial expertise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, David Grant Medical Center, 101 Bodin Circle, Travis AFB, Fairfield, CA, 94535, USA

    Brian T. Ragel

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Randall R. McCafferty

Authors
  1. Brian T. Ragel
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  2. Randall R. McCafferty
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian T. Ragel.

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Comment

This report deals with a case of indirect gunshot wound to the head. In some countries the tradition of firing rounds into the air during celebrations coupled with the easy access to bullets makes this kind of wound not so rare. This paper is well written, brief and interesting.

Franco Servadei

Ospedale Maggiore, Par

Disclaimer: The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the United States Air Force or the Department of Defense.

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Ragel, B.T., McCafferty, R.R. Indirect gunshot wound to the head. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 150, 1311–1312 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-008-0148-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-008-0148-6

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