Chopstick injury penetrating the skull base: a case report

We describe an unusual case of a foreign body penetrating the skull base and lodging in the posterior fossa. A 38-year-old woman fell onto a chopstick while eating, causing it to impact into her mouth. The chopstick penetrated the oropharynx and the occipital bone via the jugular foramen to enter the posterior fossa intracranially, piercing the tentorium cerebelli and leaving a fractured tip in the occipital lobe. Three-dimensional reconstructive computed tomographic scans were obtained to view the trajectory and position of the chopstick. Reconstructed angiography revealed the proximity of the carotid artery and the jugular vessels to the foreign object. Safe access to the chopstick was via an occipital craniotomy to retrieve the distal portion and an ipsiplateral retrosigmoid craniectomy to remove the proximal end. Provision was made to gain proximal control of all major nearby vessels in the event of any hemorrhage. Trauma causing penetration of a foreign body into the posterior fossa of the skull is rare due to its surrounding thick bone. Appropriate preoperative planning, including 3-D computed tomographic images and angiograms, are integral in the surgical approach for the safe removal of such objects.