Missile injuries to the temporal bone

Gunshot injuries to the head and neck are frequently seen in patients brought to a level I trauma center. These injuries result in great morbidity and mortality and a significant expenditure of health care dollars. Missile injuries to the temporal bone, though less common, can likewise be devastating. Common sequelae include vertigo, deafness, facial nerve paralysis, and death. A series of missile injuries to the temporal bone treated at Tampa General Hospital during 1993 prompted a review of head and neck missile injuries in our trauma registry over the past 4 years (1989 to 1993). More than 100 patients were shot in the head or neck; 25 of them had injury to the temporal bone. Outcomes included facial nerve injury (8), deafness (9), vertigo (3), and death (13).