Intracranial Migration of a Broken Rod After Orbitocranial Injury in an Adult.

BACKGROUND

Craniocerebral injuries due to the induction of sharp objects are relatively rare and are nearly always observed in the pediatric rather than the adult population. Orbitocranial injuries involving a piece of smooth steel rod are extremely rare and to our knowledge have yet to be reported in previous publications. When this particular category of injury does occur, the invading intracranial foreign body usually remains lodged within its entry position. This is most often near the entry point and within the frontal lobe after penetrating the orbit. Migration of the penetrating object far from the initial entry point is quite rare and has been historically confined to low-velocity bullet wounds.

CASE DESCRIPTION

An adult man was injured on the right eyelid by a section of steel rod. The rod had entered the cranium through the right orbital roof and was lodged within the corresponding right frontal lobe. An initial plain radiograph showed that the rod was within the right frontal lobe. However, computed tomographic angiography of the brain performed during the second day of admission demonstrated displacement of the rod to the left hemisphere. This finding was clearly demonstrated through subsequent imaging. As a result of the migration, the rod could be distracted fairly easily through a left parasagittal and interhemispheric approach. Postoperatively, the patient made a full recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

Migration of traumatically introduced intracranial foreign bodies far from their initial entry places should be suspected in objects possessing sufficient weight and a smooth surface. This means that a correct assessment of the final position of such objects is necessary before surgery, even while the patient is on the operating table.