Management of penetrating arrow injury of the maxillofacial region, case report

An arrow maxillofacial penetrating injury is an unusual traumatic injury sometimes encountered in developing countries. This rare injury has the potential to be dangerous because the arrow is deeply lodged in maxillofacial region crossed by major vessels, and because damage to one of these vessels should always be suspected. Furthermore, removal of a foreign body may result in complications such as massive bleeding or iatrogenic injury to adjacent structure and complications should always be considered in maxillofacial region. We describe a case of a patient who presented with maxillofacial penetrating arrow injury and analyze the problems faced in its management with emphasis on diagnostic imaging, on surgical planning and on careful surgery management.