Penetrating head wound: a remarkable case

The modern management of penetrating head injuries is generally considered a neurosurgical specialty that relies heavily on the use of sequential imaging techniques, an ever-changing armamentarium of sophisticated antibiotics and specific neurosurgical operative skills. Unfortunately these optimal therapeutic components are frequently not available to patients injured in underdeveloped countries.

An unusual case of a young patient suffering a penetrating brain wound and undergoing delayed treatment in an African mission hospital is reviewed.

A functional but neurologically impaired outcome resulted from limited surgical debridement and short-term broad-spectrum antibiotic administration.

The multiple exigencies of surgical practice in an underdeveloped African nation do not preclude successful management of penetrating head trauma.