ABSTRACT
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a rare and fatal complication of immune thrombocytopenia. ICH is more common in children than in the adult population. A 30-year-old male patient, a known case of immune thrombocytopenia, presented with sudden onset severe headache and vomiting. Computed tomography scan showed a large right frontal intracerebral hematoma. His platelet counts were low, and he received multiple transfusions. Though he was initially conscious, his neurological condition progressively deteriorated, so the decision was taken for an emergency craniotomy. Despite multiple transfusions, his platelet counts were 10,000/µL, so craniotomy was very risky. He underwent an emergency splenectomy and received one unit of single donor platelets. Subsequently, his platelets count increased a few hours after, and he underwent successful evacuation of intracerebral hematoma. He eventually had an excellent neurological outcome. Though intracranial hemorrhage carries significant morbidity and mortality, a timely decision of emergency splenectomy followed by craniotomy can result in an excellent clinical outcome.
ABSTRACT
Background: When an object traverses through the cranium leaving behind both an entry and exit wound, it is called perforating brain injury. Perforating open brain injury is rare. A paucity of published literature on such cases and a lack of a standard management protocol pose significant challenges in managing such cases. Case Description: We present a case of a 24-year-old man who worked as a carpenter at the construction site. He slipped while working and fell from a height of 13 feet onto a rusty, vertically placed 3 feet iron rod located on the ground. Iron rod entered his body from the right upper chest, came out from the neck, and again re-entered through the right upper neck medial to the angle of the mandible and finally came out from the posterosuperior surface of the right side of the head. He presented to the emergency department in a conscious state, but his voice was heavy and slow-paced, and he showed signs of lower cranial nerve palsy on the right side. He underwent numerous radiological investigations. The iron rod was removed in the operation theater under strict aseptic precautions. On day 7 after surgery, he developed right lobar pneumonia, and on day 21, he developed an altered sensorium, followed by a loss of consciousness. He did not regain consciousness and, unfortunately, succumbed after 30 days of sustaining the injuries. Conclusion: Perforating open brain injuries are rare, especially in civilian society, and are usually associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Due to a lack of standard guidelines for managing such severe injuries and limited knowledge, many patients with these injuries do not survive. Although each case presents differently, certain management principles must be followed.
