• Pedro Costa Ferreira, António Santa-Comba, Rui Filipe Barbosa, Jorge Manuel Rodrigues, Jorge Cruz Reis, and José Manuel Amarante.
• Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Esthetic Surgery, São João Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. pedro.oferreira@mail.pt
• J Craniofac Surg. 2004 Sep 1;15(5):851-4.

AbstractImpacted injuries of the head and neck are uncommon. Associated injuries can be present and can be a serious problem. We present an unusual clinical case and discuss the management of this complex injury. Head and neck injuries deserve special attention because of their enormous functional and esthetic significance. Contusion, abrasion, retained foreign bodies, laceration, and avulsion are some of the most frequent injuries. Impalement injuries are not so common. These lesions combine aspects of blunt and penetrating trauma and usually result from penetration by a large, rigid, blunt-tipped object that traverses a certain body area in a through-and-through fashion and often remains in situ at the time of presentation. There have been many case reports describing these injuries in the trunk and extremities; however, cases of head and neck impalement are still lacking in number. A case of an unusual cervical impalement is presented, together with a discussion of the management of this complex injury.

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