• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.89-92
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• 2006

Penetrating facial wounds are uncommon and are usually life threatening because of the possibility of brain damage. There are three possible pathways for penetrating the cranium through the orbit: via the orbital roof, via the superior orbital fissure, or between the optic canal and lateral wall of the orbit. Brain injuries resulting from the penetrating wounds show extensive parenchymal damage, hemorrhage, and brain edema. Transorbital penetrating wounds can lead to diverse lesions of the optical apparatus, including the eye globe, the optical nerve, and the chiasm. Moreover, intracerebral structures may be hurt, and bleeding and infection may occur. Early diagnosis and prompt debridement are the fundamental factors affecting the outcome of a penetrating facial wound. An 87-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with a grinder impacted into the medial aspect of the right eye. On presentation, the man was fully conscious with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15 and complained of a visual disturbance of the right eye. Computed tomography demonstrated a right orbital medial and inferior wall fracture, a frontal bone fracture, and a contusional hemorrhage in frontal lobe of the brain. A craniotomy with hematoma removal and repair of the orbital floor was done. He showed no neurological deficits except right visual loss. This appears to be the first report of a man with a penetrating facial wound caused by a grinder, who presented with a potentially disastrous craniocerebral injury that did not lead to any serious neurological seguelae.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.414-416
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• 2012

A 38-year-old man fell from a chair with a chopstick in his hand. The chopstick penetrated his left eye. He noticed pain, swelling, and numbness around his left eye. On physical examination, a linear wound was noted at the medial aspect of the left eyelid. Noncontrast computed tomography (CT) study showed a linear hypodense structure extending from the medial aspect of the left orbit to the occipital bone, suggesting a foreign body. This foreign body was hyperdense relative to normal parenchyma. From a CT scan with 3-dimensional reconstruction, the foreign body was found to be passing through the optic canal into the cranium. The clear plastic chopstick was withdrawn without difficulty. The patient was discharged home 3 weeks after his surgery. A treatment plan for a transorbital penetrating injury should be determined by a multidisciplinary team, with input from neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.20-24
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• 2012

Experimental studies were performed to investigate the eye injury risks by different BB pellet materials. Four different BB pellet materials were used: plastic (P), silicon (S), rubber (R) and plastic covered with silicon (SR). The BB pellet images penetrating into the gelatine simulant were recorded by a high-speed video camera. The results obtained from the different pellet materials were discussed in terms of impact velocity and penetration depth; threshold velocity and projectile sectional density; eye injury risks by normalized energies. It was found that the P pellets caused higher impact velocity while the lower was SR pellets. The penetration depth and threshold velocity of the pellets were dependent on the impact velocity of the pellets, and the P pellets resulted in the higher eye injury risk while the lower was SP.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1538-1541
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• 2000

Apenetrating head injury by an arrow is extremely rare being only two cases reported in the literature. We report a case of 12-year-old boy who presented with an arrow lodged at the posterior fossa through nasal nostril. He was slightly drowsy, but neurologically intact except a sixth nerve palsy in the left eye. Brain CT showed no intracerebral hemorrhage. The arrow was entered through the right nostril and the tip was stucked in the left cere-bello-pontine angle through the sphenoid sinus. We removed the arrow without craniotomy since the tip was verified smooth and no cerebral arteries were in contact with the arrow. The patient recovered well without any significant complications. The sixth nerve palsy resolved completely after six months. The verification of the shape of the offending material, a retrograde removal of the arrow in the direction of its line of trajectory, and an identification of adjacent cerebral arteries seem to be important in the management of this type of injury.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.300-303
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• 2018

Intraorbital wooden foreign bodies may present difficulties in diagnosis due to their radiolucent nature. Delayed recognition and management can cause significant complications. We present a case report that demonstrates these problems and the sequela that can follow. A 56-year-old man presented with a 3-cm laceration in the right upper eyelid, sustained by a slipping accident. After computed tomography (CT) scanning and ophthalmology consultation, which revealed no fractures and suggested only pneumophthalmos, the wound was repaired by a plastic surgery resident. Ten days later, the patient's eyelid displayed signs of infection including pus discharge. Antibiotics and revisional repair failed to solve the infection. Nearly 2 months after the initial repair, a CT scan revealed a large wooden fragment in the superomedial orbit. Surgical exploration successfully removed the foreign body and inflamed pocket, and the patient healed uneventfully. However, the prolonged intraorbital infection had caused irreversible damage to the superior rectus muscle, with upgaze diplopia persisting 1 year after surgery and only minimal muscle function remaining. We report this case to warn clinicians of the difficulties in early diagnosis of intraorbital wooden foreign bodies and the grave prognosis of delayed management.