Perforating foreign body causing incomplete facial paralysis

Abstract

Facial nerve trauma is a common cause of facial paralysis; both blunt and penetrating forces may compromise the facial nerve. A comprehensive primary and secondary survey is essential for diagnosis and treatment of the injury. Here we report on a young patient who sustained a quad bike accident, leading to an perforating injuries of the face from a bough, causing facial paralysis.

Keywords: Facial muscle weakness; Facial nerve trauma; Facial paralysis; Foreign body; Perforating injuries; Traumatic facial paralysis.

Fig. 1

At primary survey, the patient presented with incomplete, peripheral, left sided facial paralysis (right) Four days prior to admission, the minor wound adjacent to the left tragus had been closed prematurely (left).

Fig. 2

Preoperative clinical testing. The patient demonstrated incomplete, peripheral, left sided facial paralysis.

Fig. 3

Representative coronary slices of the initial CT scan. The arrow indicates the cylindrical foreign body close to the temporal styloid process. An additional MRI was performed to identify the exact location, composition and size of the foreign body. Intraoperative Findings. After surgical exploration, a piece of wood measuring 30 × 3 mm was readily extracted.