Gunshot injury of the left temporal bone ; A case report

Abstract

We treated a 20-year-old man with a blind bullet wound of the left temporal bone and perforating bullet wounds of the right temporal legion, the right upper arm and right femur. Following physical examination, X-P, and CT, a bullet was detected in the left temporal bone. However, other wounds did not contain bullets. Emergency surgery was performed. The bullet was suspected to have entered through the posterior part of the mastoid tip, pass through the mastoid cavity and stopped at the tympanum. The facial canal was partially broken at the vertical portion, however the facial nerve was not damaged. The bullet was removed after resecting the posterior external auditory canal. Tympanoplasty type III combined with external canal wall drilling-down technique was performed. The patient showed left facial palsy after surgery. However, this gradually improved. The postoperative course in his left ear was good without infection, although the patient was deaf in that ear.