["The swallowed bullet": illustration of a rare missile trajectory in a pediatric gunshot neck injury].
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.
Pereira Graterol
F
F
Servicio de Cirugía General, Hospital Universitario Dr. Luis Razetti, Barcelona-Venezuela. pfreddy@telcel.net.ve
Romero Bravo
C
C
Arcia
A
A
Suárez
O
O
D000005:Abdomen; D002648:Child; D003679:Deglutition; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019838:Neck Injuries; D009960:Oropharynx; D011859:Radiography; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging