title: A mysterious temporal penetrating head wound without fracture.
abstract: Unwitnessed head injuries are often diagnostic and management dilemmas. Low-velocity penetrating head wounds are rare. This paper describes a case of an accidental low-velocity penetrating head wound through the soft tissue of the temporal region. This lesion resulted in a deep intra-cerebral haemorrhage, after the initial assessment revealed no evidence of skull fracture, missile or missile track. The diagnostic evaluation and medical course of this case are presented. This is the first case in the medical literature of a brain injury by an object that penetrated the calvarium at low velocity but which did not produce a fracture of the skull. The evolving diagnostic dilemma is outlined to its conclusion, through 3 years of follow-up observation.
authors.affiliation: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Department of PM&R, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahangar
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Adawi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation