Removal of a bullet lying between carotid arteries, following a gunshot injury

Abstract

Gunshot injuries can be very threatening to the patient's life. A bullet in the neck area after a gunshot usually causes tissue damage and bleeding because of the presence of vital structures in this region. We present the case of a young man that arrived emergently to our hospital because of gunshot injury in the right neck area and the right shoulder. He was hemodynamically stable, with no laryngeal edema or hematoma. The cervical radiography showed a foreign body lying on the right side of the spine, in front of the third cervical vertebra. The CT scanning revealed a metallic foreign body, lying between the internal carotid artery and the external carotid artery, without causing bleeding in the surrounding tissues. A bullet was also found in the right shoulder area. A barium esophagography showed no contrast agent escape. An emergency operation was performed, under general anesthesia. The metallic bullet was found under an enlarged submandibular lymph node and was removed. The bullet removal caused vessel intraoperative bleeding, that was repaired satisfactory. No postoperative complications were noticed and patient was discharged home.