Stab wound of the neck: potential pitfalls in management.
The authors describe the case history of a patient who was stabbed in the back of his neck with a knife and who later presented with a Brown-Séquard syndrome attributable to cervical spinal cord damage. Myelography and CT revealed a compressive extradural lesion shown at exploratory operation to be a loculus of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The loculus had formed as a consequence of leakage of CSF through a dural tear caused by the knife. Evacuation of this loculus resulted in some neurological improvement. The necessity of obtaining a clear history and of performing a thorough clinical examination is explained. The need to admit patients in whom stab wounds of the neck have transgressed subcutaneous fat is reiterated. Early referral to a neurosurgeon is advised for those patients with neurological deficits.
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R D
RD
University Department of Neurosurgery, Manchester Royal Infirmary, England.
Lye
R H
RH
D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D009192:Myelography; D019838:Neck Injuries; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000150:complications*