Gunshot wound to the spine without neurological loss – A case report

Abstract

The role of surgery in the treatment of penetrating spinal injury has been controversial.

Neurological outcome of the gunshot wounds to the spine depends firstly on the initial traumatic neurological deficit. The extent of such injuries depends primarily on the bullet energy deposited on target. The spine injuries caused by the military high velocity bullets are of much more extensive damage comparing to the civilian injuries such are those inflicted by the handguns.

The patient injured by the bullet fired from the handgun that penetrated right parasternal thoracic area and lodged into the body of the T2 vertebra is presented. There was no neurological loss from this injury. The ballistic analysis is provided. The bullet lodged in the vertebral body protruding to the spinal canal was removed from the posterior approach employing laminectomy.

Keywords

Spine injury - Gunshot injury - Bullet terminal ballistic

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