Brain wounds and their treatment in VII Corps during Operation Desert Storm, February 20 to April 15, 1991

To evaluate field neurosurgery supporting VII Corps during combat in Operation Desert Storm.

(1) Only 1 of 22 patients who had a head wound died. (2) The one computed tomography unit in a forward hospital worked well, aiding diagnosis and surgical management. The occurrence of hematoma at a distance from the missile track has been worrisome to past field neurosurgeons, but none of 9 patients who had predebridement scans had a distant clot. (3) The number of brain wounds was fewer than expected for Americans, and the wounds were basilar in location. Iraqis, by contrast, had wounds that were randomly distributed about the head.

(1) Although computed tomography is a useful diagnostic adjunct, its availability should not be a sine qua non for forward neurosurgery. (2) The current Kevlar helmet design appears successful.