title: Surgical outcome in 435 patients who sustained missile head wounds during the Iran-Iraq War.
abstract: Variables important in predicting the final postsurgical outcome of 435 patients who sustained missile head wounds during the Iran-Iraq War were evaluated over a 99-month period. The type of projectile, site of injury, and presence or absence of foreign material did not seem to have a significant effect on the final outcome. Of the patients with a perforating type of injury, 48.8% had a poor surgical outcome as compared with 19.9% with a penetrating type and 15.6% with a tangential type. This difference is statistically significant (chi 2 = 14.7 and 17.1, respectively; p less than 0.001). The most important factor in predicting overall outcome was the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at the time of admission. Mortality and morbidity contributing to a poor surgical outcome were noted in only 6% of patients with a GCS score at admission of 13 to 15, in 24.6% of those with a GCS score of 9 to 12, in 57% of those with a GCS score of 6 to 8, and in 65% of those with a GCS score of 3 to 5. Of the 71 patients who died, 75% had a score of 3 to 8. Perforating projectiles or those traversing two or more dural compartments were statistically significant in contributing to mortality and morbidity (chi 2 = 17.2; p less than 0.001). The incidence of focal neurological deficit was 100, 90.6, 88, and 52.2% in patients with GCS scores of 3 to 5, 6 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 15, respectively. The two best predictors of mortality in this group of patients were a low GCS score and infection.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz, Iran.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Aarabi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections; D007492:Iran; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D014857:Warfare; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery