MISSILE INJURIES TO THE TEMPORAL BONE

Gunshot injuries to the head and neck are frequently seen in patients brought to a level I trauma center. These injuries result in great mor bidity and mortality and a significant expenditure of health care doll ars. Missile injuries to the temporal bone, though less common, can li kewise be devastating. Common sequelae include vertigo, deafness, faci al nerve paralysis, and death. A series of missile injuries to the tem poral bone treated at Tampa General Hospital during 1993 prompted a re view of head and neck missile injuries in our trauma registry over the past 4 years (1989 to 1993). More than 100 patients were shot in the head or neck; 25 of them had injury to the temporal bone. Outcomes inc luded facial nerve injury (8), deafness (9), vertigo (3), and death (1 3).