양궁화살에 의한 두부 관통상 1례 - 증례보고 -

A Case of Penetrating Head Injury by a Western-Style Arrow - A Case Report -

Apenetrating head injury by an arrow is extremely rare being only two cases reported in the literature. We report a case of 12-year-old boy who presented with an arrow lodged at the posterior fossa through nasal nostril. He was slightly drowsy, but neurologically intact except a sixth nerve palsy in the left eye. Brain CT showed no intracerebral hemorrhage. The arrow was entered through the right nostril and the tip was stucked in the left cere-bello-pontine angle through the sphenoid sinus. We removed the arrow without craniotomy since the tip was verified smooth and no cerebral arteries were in contact with the arrow. The patient recovered well without any significant complications. The sixth nerve palsy resolved completely after six months. The verification of the shape of the offending material, a retrograde removal of the arrow in the direction of its line of trajectory, and an identification of adjacent cerebral arteries seem to be important in the management of this type of injury.