39年間頸部に存在した砲弾片異物の1例

A Case of Fragment of Artillery Shell in the Neck Stayed for 39 Years

I．はじめに

　頭頸部領域における銃弾異物の報告は時々みられるが，いまだ戦時下に受けた銃砲弾異物も未摘出のままの症例があることを経験した。われわれの症例は39年間の長期にわたって頸部に存在した砲弾片異物であり，これを摘出したのでその臨床経過について報告する。

　A 63-year-old male had received a fragment or artillery shell in his left infra-auricle portion during the World War II. After the injury his left facial nerve was paralyzed but he developed no other disorder. He had been unaware of the foreign body in his neck. At 39 years after the injury, he visited our clinic complaining of a slight pain in the left side of his neck. X-ray, CT-scan and other examinations revealed the foreign body in his neck. An operation was performed, and the foreign body was successfully removed without complications.

　The literature on a bullet fragment as a foreign body showed that almost all of these foreign bodies were removed within 30 days after the injury. In this aspect, the present case was rare because of the length of time the fragment remained in the neck.