Penetrating intracranial wooden object: case report and review of CT morphology, complications, and management

Abstract

BACKGROUND Penetrating intracranial wooden fragments after vehicular accidents are uncommon. The CT morphology, complications, and management in such cases are quite variable. CASE REPORT A 27-year-old male was seen with a “twig” from a tree embedded firmly just below the right medial canthus after a motorcycle accident. Diagnosis of intracranial penetrating wooden object was made on CT scanning. The wooden stick, which had splintered into two, was extricated through a craniotomy in two operative sessions. However the patient succumbed to septicemia and meningitis on the twelfth day after the accident. CONCLUSIONS The need for prompt extrication of these objects and the causes of high mortality in this condition are discussed. The importance of imaging the intracranial compartment in injuries involving the periorbital region is emphasized.