Brain injury due to air gun shot: report of three adult cases

Air guns (AGs) are arms that use air or another compressed gas to propel a projectile. Generally, brain injury may occur in children due to their incomplete skull development; however, the less-resistant and thin region of the skull in adults may also be penetrated by an AG shot. In this paper, we present three adult cases treated in our clinic for brain injury caused by an AG. The first case had brain and skull damage related to the high pressure of the compressed gas, and the others additionally had foreign bodies in their brain. All of the patients were operated. Two were discharged without neurological deficit; the third case had a permanent slight hemiparesis. Average follow-up was 11 months and no abscess formation was observed in this period. AGs are known as low-velocity arms; however, they have the potential to cause brain injury, and brain penetration may occur especially in the relatively less resistant and thin sites of the skull such as the orbit and temporal and occipital bones. As cerebrospinal fluid leakage is one of the expected conditions, urgent surgery is usually required.

Havalý silah yaralanmasýna baðlý beyin hasarý: Üç eriþkin olgu sunumu

Havalý silahlar basýnçlý hava veya diðer gazlarýn kullanýlarak hýzla boþaltýlmasý ile çalýþýr. Genellikle kafatasý tamamýyla geliþmemiþ çocuklarda beyin hasarý görülmekle birlikte eriþkinlerde daha az dirençli ve ince bölgelerinden kafatasýný delerek beyin hasarýna yol açabilir. Bu yazýda, havalý silah yaralanmasý sonucu beyin hasarý olan ve tedavi edilen üç eriþkin olgu sunuldu. Ýlk olguda yüksek basýnçlý gazýn etkisine baðlý kafatasý ve beyin hasarý, diðer olgularda ek olarak yabancý cisme nedeniyle beyin hasarý saptandý. Tüm olgular ameliyat edildi, iki olgu nörolojik kaybý olmaksýzýn taburcu edildi, üçüncü olgu hafif hemiparezi ile taburcu edildi. Ortalama 11 aylýk izlemde olgularda beyin apsesi geliþimi gözlenmedi. Havalý silahlar düþük hýzlý silahlar olarak bilinirler, ancak beyin hasarýna neden olabilirler, özellikle ince ve daha az dirençli bölgeler olan orbita, temporal ve oksipital kemikleri delerek beyin hasarýna yol açabilirler. Beyin-omurilik sývýsý kaçaðý genellikle beklenen bir durum olup acil cerrahi tedavi gereklidir.