Image-guided neurosurgery for secondary operative removal of projectiles after missile injury of the brain.

BACKGROUND: The primary treatment of penetrating missile injuries of the brain includes debridement of the scalp, fractured skull, and necrotic brain parenchyma. It is acceptable to remove all bony and metallic fragments that are accessible without additional trauma to nondamaged brain regions. Therefore, bone chips and bullets are often initially retained in the brain and are supposedly responsible for delayed cerebral infections and posttraumatic seizures.

METHODS: We successfully operated on 3 patients electively to remove bony and metallic fragments secondarily after penetrating brain trauma. We used an electromagnetic neuronavigation system for preoperative planning and chose a less invasive approach for the exact intraoperative localization of the fragments.

RESULTS: All fragments were extracted without any problems. No patients had any additional neurologic deficits, and no signs of cerebral infections or seizures occurred between 4 and 8 weeks after the operative revision.

CONCLUSION: We recommend the implementation of neuronavigation techniques into the surgical strategy for secondary removal of retained missile fragments.