UNUSUAL PENETRATING FACIOCRANIAL INJURY CAUSED BY A KNIFE - A CASE-REPORT

Penetrating head and neck trauma in children is uncommon and are poten tially life-threatening injuries. Penetrating trauma to the head in ch ildren is a challenging problem for both the initial evaluating physic ians and surgeons. We report upon a patient who had fallen from a tree while cutting vegetables and sustained a penetrating faciocranial inj ury caused by his knife, Clinical examination showed a knife which had entered his face in the right preauricular, pre-temporomandibular joi nt area below the zygomatic arch. His left bulbus oculi was exophthalm ic and a complete ptosis was present, He was fully conscious. The only abnormal finding was complete left visual loss, The other neurologica l ophthalmological and systemic physical evaluations were normal. The Glasgow Coma scale score was 14, The modalities of treatment and the o utcome of the operation are described and the management of similar in juries is discussed.