Purpose: Pediatric intracranial injuries due to penetrating gunshot wounds are a rare entity that is often fatal. A subset of patients may experience an intracerebral arterial injury; however, literature on the pediatric population is limited. This study analyzes a large institution's experience with pediatric head gunshot wounds and intracranial arterial injuries.
Methods: All pediatric patients ≤ 18 years of age who presented to our institution with a penetrating gunshot wound from 2008 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: Thirty-seven patients presented with an intracerebral penetrating gunshot injury. There were 18 deaths (49%) in the cohort. A total of 20 patients (54%) had vascular imaging. Of the remaining 17 patients with no vascular imaging, 13 (35%) died before any vascular studies were obtained. Four (20%) of the 20 patients with vascular imaging experienced an intracerebral arterial injury. Three of these 4 patients died before treatment could be administered. One patient with a firearm injury underwent embolization of a distal middle cerebral artery pseudoaneurysm and was discharged home with a Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 5 on follow-up.
Conclusion: Pediatric patients with penetrating intracranial gunshot wounds often die before vascular imaging can be obtained.
Keywords: Head gunshot wounds; Intracranial arterial injury; Intraventricular hemorrhage; Pediatric.