Penetrating craniocerebral injury from an underwater fishing harpoon

Weapon injuries other than gunshot wounds or low-velocity stab wounds to th e head are extremely rare. We report the case of a 6-year-old girl who sust ained a penetrating craniocerebral injury after being accidentally shot wit h an underwater fishing harpoon. This mechanism of injury seems to share ch aracteristics of both high- and low-velocity projectiles. We discuss the ma nagement of this unusual injury in a child, remarking that foreign body rem oval in these cases must be carried out following the original direction of the projectile trajectory. We review the current literature on craniocereb ral injuries caused by similar objects, especially those occurring in child ren.