title: ["The swallowed bullet": illustration of a rare missile trajectory in a pediatric gunshot neck injury].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The probability of a bullet deglutition is a remote cause of consultation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To communicate a clinical case of gunshot wound's penetrating cervical trauma in a pediatric patient, with a no frequent trajectory.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe and illustrate a clinical case of penetrating neck gunshot wound in the left zone III. At the initial radiological examination, we observed an intraabdominal location of the bullet. The analysis of the clinical case demonstrated an oropharyngeal injury, and a "swallowed bullet", without other lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a satisfactory evolution with a nonsurgical management. There was no associated morbidity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The gunshot bullet's trajectory generally implies a multiple organs lesion. In this case, the initial radiological location of the bullet deserved to rule out cervical, intrathoracic and intraabdominal organs injuries, allowing illustrate this infrequent and almost "harmless" trajectory.
authors: Servicio de Cirugía General, Hospital Universitario Dr. Luis Razetti, Barcelona-Venezuela. pfreddy@telcel.net.ve
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Pereira Graterol
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Romero Bravo
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Arcia
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Suárez
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D002648:Child; D003679:Deglutition; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019838:Neck Injuries; D009960:Oropharynx; D011859:Radiography; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging