Transorbital penetrating head injury with a favorable outcome: illustrative case

Transorbital penetrating head injuries (PHIs) are uncommon but can lead to substantial deficits, depending on intracranial involvement and the neuroanatomical structures affected. Complete recovery after such injuries is rare.

A 7-year-old boy sustained a PHI when he fell onto a garden spike while climbing a fence. Initial imaging showed an orbital roof fracture, focal subarachnoid hemorrhage, and an intraparenchymal hemorrhage in the right frontal lobe with associated linear tract extending to the contralateral superior temporal gyrus. Relevant neuroanatomical structures, including the anterior cerebral arteries (ACAs) and the basal ganglia, were spared. This is in keeping with superior transorbital PHI caused by a garden spike, which had transgressed the skull entering from the right superior orbit. Clinically, he experienced some transient right-sided weakness and mild speech disturbance. Some questionable vasospasm of the ACAs observed on interim magnetic resonance imaging was absent in a repeat imaging study, followed by an unremarkable radiographic follow-up at 6 months after injury. At 18 months after injury, he is neurologically intact without deficit.

Most PHIs bear serious lifelong consequences, but here was a case of a deep, penetrating object that managed to avoid all significant neuroanatomical pathways, leading to complete recovery in follow-up.