Head trauma by captive bolt gun.

An 80 year-old former cattle-breeder committed suicide with a captive bolt gun. He was transmitted unconscious to emergency department. He had a large penetrating wound in right temporal area. Lateral radiograph of skull revealed a large rounded bony defect. CT verified a large rounded entry site and bony defect at the right pterion. It disclosed a wide, zonal-like haemorrhagic wound canal bearing intraparenchymal bony fragments at its end with no associated metallic fragments. Subarachnoid haemorrhage with bilateral subepidural hematomas and significant brain oedema was demonstrated.