West African journal of medicine
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Majority of airgun injuries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are accidental and involve children and adolescents. Potentially lethal penetrating injuries to the head often result from airguns. ⋯ CT is also useful in demonstrating the fracture at the entry site of the pellet and any bone fragment which may be propelled into the brain. Although there have been a few case reports of spontaneous migration of metallic foreign body within the brain in the world literature, this case highlight the speed with which it can occur, even in a patient on complete bed rest.
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Four hundred and sixty-seven children, aged from birth to 16 years (mean age:35.9 months), presented with emergency neurological problems to the Children's Emergency Unit (CHER) of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu over a 12-month period. This accounted for 11.1% of all the cases seen in the Unit during that period. There was a male:female ratio of 1.55:1. ⋯ One hundred and ninety-two patients (37.7%) were discharged home, while 36 (7.7%) died. The findings from the study are discussed and compared with data from other centres. Recommendations that may help to reduce mortality from neurologic emergencies in children, are made.