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Case Report

Case Report: Bone fragment in the third ventricle of a 22 year-old woman

[version 1; peer review: 1 not approved]
PUBLISHED 11 Mar 2015
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Abstract

Here we present a very rare case of a woman with a bone fragment in the third ventricle of the brain following compound-depressed skull fractures due to a road traffic accident.
There are only few case reports of bullets and textiloma being removed from the third ventricle. Following operative removal of the fragment, the patient was started on cortisol, mineralocorticoid and thyroid hormone replacement. However, the patient eventually died of the severe traumatic hypothalamic insult.

Keywords

bone fragment, brain surgery, compound-depressed fracture

Case report

A 22 year-old female, with no significant past medical and surgical illnesses, was brought to the casualty room with a Glasgow coma scale of 6/15 following a collision between two bikes three hours earlier. Local examination revealed two compound depressed skull fractures in the frontal and the parietal region with egress of brain matter. Following primary resuscitation, computed tomography (CT) of the head confirmed the local findings along with the presence of one bone fragment in the third ventricle (Figure 1). The patient was taken for debridement of the wound and craniotomy with retrieval of the bone fragment (Figure 2, Figure 3) following hematoma tracking. Intraventricular drain was placed and neurosurgical intensive care was provided. Repeated CT scans showed hypodensities around the third ventricle (Figure 4). On the second post-operative day, the patient was started on ionotropic support because of the refractory hypotension, and was also replaced with hydrocortisone, fludrocortisone and thyroid hormones. Wound dressing and the ventricular drain care was continued. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture from the drain resulted sterile. The patient died on the 8th post-operative day because of the traumatic severe hypothalamic insult.

d9df00ec-3281-4c83-aa8a-8ee3a6c1f3f9_figure1.gif

Figure 1. CT image showing the bone fragment lodged in the third ventricle.

d9df00ec-3281-4c83-aa8a-8ee3a6c1f3f9_figure2.gif

Figure 2. Intra-operative picture showing two sites of compound depressed fracture and the craniotomy performed circling both of them.

d9df00ec-3281-4c83-aa8a-8ee3a6c1f3f9_figure3.gif

Figure 3. Image showing the bone fragment retrieved from the third ventricle.

d9df00ec-3281-4c83-aa8a-8ee3a6c1f3f9_figure4.gif

Figure 4. Post-operative image showing evidence of hypodensities surrounding hypothalamic region.

Discussion

As brain abscesses may result from driven bone fragments and other retained foreign bodies in the brain, the removal of readily accessible foreign bodies has received much attention36. Migration of foreign bodies can occur because of gravitational force. Other routes of migration can be subdural, parenchymal, transventricular or along streamlining along the white matter track7. The removal of foreign bodies is mostly done via craniotomy8,9, but other methods such as burr hole, stereotaxy10 and sometimes by ventriculoscopy11 have also been described.

The goals of modern treatments include removal of the foreign body under a controlled environment in the neurosurgical operation setting. Surgical principles include removal of bone fragments, intracerebral hematoma, control of hemorrhages and prevention of further loss of neural tissue. Patients should receive a broad spectrum intravenous antibiotic therapy along with tetanus prophylaxis. Monitoring and control of elevated intracranial pressure with maintenance of cerebral perfusion pressure plays a significant role in the patient’s survival and outcome. The follow-up of such patients is essential, considering known complications like cerebrospinal fluid fistula in the early post-operative period and brain abscesses and seizures which may occur years after injury. Outcome after a penetrating head injury is directly related to the Glasgow coma scale at the time of presentation, which is the reflection of the extent of brain tissue damage caused directly by the primary impact. Intensive post-operative monitoring of intracranial pressure, cardio-respiratory function and metabolic status are required for optimizing the outcome of victims of penetrating craniocerebral injuries12. Penetrating head injuries have a higher mortality and morbidity than blunt trauma even in a civilian set up13. Even after timely removal of the penetrating objects and intensive medical management, the outcome may remain poor.

Consent

Informed written consent for publication of images and clinical details was obtained from the patient’s husband.

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VERSION 2 PUBLISHED 11 Mar 2015
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Munakomi S, Srinivas B and Cherian I. Case Report: Bone fragment in the third ventricle of a 22 year-old woman [version 1; peer review: 1 not approved]. F1000Research 2015, 4:63 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.6180.1)
NOTE: If applicable, it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.
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Open Peer Review

Current Reviewer Status: ?
Key to Reviewer Statuses VIEW
ApprovedThe paper is scientifically sound in its current form and only minor, if any, improvements are suggested
Approved with reservations A number of small changes, sometimes more significant revisions are required to address specific details and improve the papers academic merit.
Not approvedFundamental flaws in the paper seriously undermine the findings and conclusions
Version 1
VERSION 1
PUBLISHED 11 Mar 2015
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Reviewer Report 24 Mar 2015
Andrey Belkin, Clinical Institute of the Brain, Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk region, Russian Federation 
Alexey Pychteev, Clinical Institute of the Brain, Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk region, Russian Federation 
Not Approved
VIEWS 42
It seems obvious that surgery even on symptomatic intracerebral foreign bodies is determined by the anatomical availability and physiological fact. In this case, initially, it seems that the risk of surgery was higher than the risk of complications due to ... Continue reading
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Belkin A and Pychteev A. Reviewer Report For: Case Report: Bone fragment in the third ventricle of a 22 year-old woman [version 1; peer review: 1 not approved]. F1000Research 2015, 4:63 (https://doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.6625.r7934)
NOTE: it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.

Comments on this article Comments (0)

Version 2
VERSION 2 PUBLISHED 11 Mar 2015
Comment
Alongside their report, reviewers assign a status to the article:
Approved - the paper is scientifically sound in its current form and only minor, if any, improvements are suggested
Approved with reservations - A number of small changes, sometimes more significant revisions are required to address specific details and improve the papers academic merit.
Not approved - fundamental flaws in the paper seriously undermine the findings and conclusions
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