title: Pneumocephalus secondary to a neck stab wound without neurologic injury in a 13-year-old girl.
abstract: Pneumocephalus is usually caused by injury that damages the brain meninges and thus allows air to enter the intracranial cavity. Our intention was to establish the importance of considering a stab wound in the neck as a possible cause of traumatic pneumocephalus. The paper presents the case of a 13-year-old girl who was accidentally stabbed in the neck with a kitchen knife by her brother. She had no neurological deficit but had developed headaches. An examination showed cerebrospinal fluid leaking from the neck wound and a CT scan revealed the pneumocephalus. Following surgical treatment, the patient's clinical symptoms regressed. To our knowledge, this case is the first report of the manifestation of pneumocephalus as the result of a neck stab wound in a child; overall, there are only three reported cases of pneumocephalus caused by a neck stab wound.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Maribor Teaching Hospital, Maribor, Slovenia. gorazd.bunc@siol.net
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Bunc
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Roskar
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Vorsic
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011007:Pneumocephalus / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery