Intracranial foreign body.

Intracranial foreign bodies due to nonmissile intracranial penetrations occur rarely. Most of these penetrating injuries result from industrial accidents or criminal assaults. The complications which cause mortality in early stage are intracerebral hemorrhage, contusion, major vascular injury and meningitis. In case of such injuries, foreign bodies near the major vascular structures should not be attempted to taken out. Total excision of the foreign body via craniotomy should be planned and possible dural and vascular injuries should be repaired during surgery. Urgent surgery should be performed as there is 53% morbidity in case of late surgery and 62% morbidity in nonoperated cases. We herein report a 20-year old man who attempted suicide by introducing a nail into his brain and review the related literature.