Penetrating brain injuries from gunshot wounds can carry a poor prognosis and require an aggressive, multifaceted approach to obtain a good prognosis and outcome. An initial evaluation requires appropriate imaging studies followed by management and prophylaxis against increased intracranial pressure, infection, and seizures. Surgical management is then followed to ensure the watertight closure of any wounds, removal of any areas of hematoma, and removal of any potential areas of infection. In this paper, we report the case of a patient who presented with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and then received aggressive medical and surgical management. This case presents that an image-guided stereotactic approach with suitable medical management should be used in patients with penetrating missile injuries to the head.
Keywords: computed tomography; gunshot wound; image-guided surgery; penetrating brain injury; stereotactic neurosurgery.