Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Part 28

In variability of degree of completeness, these lesions of the globe corresponded exactly with those produced in other parts of the nervous system by bullets striking the bones in their vicinity, and they were no doubt the result of a similar transmission of vibratory force.

In a third series of cases the globe suffered direct contusion, and in a fourth was perforated and destroyed.

In cases in which permanent blindness was produced without solution of continuity of the sclerotic coat, the nature of the lesion was probably in most cases vibratory concussion and the development of multiple haemorrhages from choroidal ruptures of a similar nature to those seen in the brain and spinal cord. The actual haemorrhagic areae varied in size; but, as far as my experience went, gross haemorrhages into the anterior chamber did not occur without severe direct contact of the bullet.

In the vast majority of the cases blindness, whether transitory or permanent, developed immediately on the reception of the injury, and was possibly in its initial stage the result of primary concussion.

Cases were, however, seen occasionally in which the symptoms were less sudden, of which the following is an example. I did not think that the mode of progress seen here could be referred to simple orbital haemorrhage, although this existed, but rather to intrav.a.g.i.n.al haemorrhage into the sheath of the optic nerve. On external inspection the globes appeared normal.

(76) Wounded at Paardeberg. _Entry_ (Mauser), over the centre of the right zygoma; the bullet traversed the right orbit, nose, and left orbit. _Exit_, immediately above the outer extremity of the left eyebrow.

The patient stated that he could 'see' for thirty minutes with the right eye and for an hour with the left, immediately after the injury. He then became totally blind, and has since remained so. During the next three weeks there were occasional 'flashes of light' experienced, but these then ceased.

At the end of three weeks the condition was as follows: Ocular movements good in every direction except that of elevation of the globe. The levator palpebrae superioris acted very slightly; the right, however, better than the left.

There were marked right proptosis, less left proptosis, and slight patchy subconjunctival haemorrhage of both eyes. The pupils were dilated, motionless, and not concentric.

The patient was invalided as totally blind (November, 1900).

Mr. Lang, who saw this patient on his return to England, kindly furnishes me with the following note as to the condition. There was extensive damage to both eyes, haemorrhage, and probably retinal detachment as well as choroidal changes.

The quotation of a few ill.u.s.trative examples typical of the ordinary orbital injuries may be of interest:--

(77) _Vertical wound._--_Entry_, into left orbit in roof posterior to globe, and internal to optic nerve; _exit_, from orbit through junction of inner wall and floor into nose.

Complete blindness followed the injury, but upon the second day light was perceived on lifting the upper lid. There was marked proptosis, subconjunctival ecchymosis, swelling and ecchymosis of the upper lid, and ptosis. Anaesthesia in the whole area of distribution of the frontal nerve.

At the end of three weeks, fingers could be recognised, but a large blind spot existed in the centre of the field of vision.

The general movements of the globe were fair, but the upper lid could not be raised. The proptosis and subconjunctival haemorrhage cleared up.

Little further improvement occurred; six months later the patient could only count the fingers excentrically. A very extensive scotoma was present. The optic disc was much atrophied, the calibre of the arteries diminished and the veins full (Mr. Critchett). The ptosis persisted. It was doubtful in this case whether the ptosis depended on injury to the nerve of supply, or on laceration and fixation of the levator palpebrae superioris. The latter seemed the more probable, as the superior rectus acted. The absence of any sign of gross bleeding into the anterior chamber is opposed to the existence of a perforating lesion of the globe in this case.

(78) _Entry_ (Mauser), from cranial cavity, just within the centre of the roof of the right orbit; _exit_, from the orbit by a notch in the lower orbital margin internal to the infra-orbital foramen; track thence beneath the soft parts of the face to emerge from the margin of the upper lip near the left angle of the mouth. Collapse of globe, proptosis, subconjunctival haemorrhage, oedema and ecchymosis of lids.

Shrunken ball removed on twenty-fourth day (Major Burton, R.A.M.C.).

(79) _Entry_ (Mauser), at the posterior border of the left mastoid process, 3/4 inch above the tip; _exit_, in the inner third of the left upper eyelid. Globe excised at end of seven days. Facial paralysis and deafness.

(80) _Entry_ (Mauser), from cranial cavity through centre of roof of orbit; _exit_, through maxillary antrum. Total blindness. Movements of ball good, no loss of tension.

Proptosis, subconjunctival haemorrhage, ecchymosis of eyelids.

No improvement in sight followed. One month later the globe suppurated and was removed. The bullet had divided the optic nerve and contused the ball.

_Prognosis and treatment of wounds of the orbit._--Except in those cases in which return of vision was rapid, the prognosis was consistently bad in the injuries to the globe. When the globe was ruptured it, as a rule, rapidly shrank. The case (80) quoted above is the only one in which I saw secondary suppuration.

With regard to active treatment, the majority of the cases were complicated by fracture of the roof of the orbit, and in many instances concurrent brain injury was present. In all of these, as a general rule, it was advisable to await the closure of the wound in the orbital roof prior to removal of the injured eye, if that was considered necessary.

The only exception to this rule was offered by instances in which the bullet pa.s.sed from the orbit into the cranium; in these primary removal of fragments projecting into the frontal lobe was preferable. As already indicated, such wounds were comparatively rare except in the case of bullets coursing transversely or obliquely.

The wounds were, as a rule, followed by considerable matting of the orbital structures.

_Wounds of the nose._--I will pa.s.s by the external parts, with the remark that perforating wounds of the cartilages were remarkable for their sharp limitation and simple nature. I remember one case shown to me in the Irish Hospital in Bloemfontein by Sir W. Thomson, in which at the end of the third day small symmetrical vertical slits in each ala already healed were scarcely visible. This case very strongly impressed one with the doctrine of chances, since on the same morning I was asked to see a patient in whom a similar transverse shot had crossed both orbits, destroying both globes and injuring the brain.

A retained bullet in the upper portion of the nasal cavity has already been referred to (fig. 60). This accident was naturally a rare one; in that instance the bullet had only retained sufficient force to insert itself neatly between the bones.

Wounds crossing the nasal fossae were comparatively common. The interference with the sense of smell often resulting is discussed in Chapter IX.

_Wounds of the malar bone_ were not infrequent. The small amount of splintering was somewhat remarkable considering the density of structure of the bone. In this particular the behaviour of the malar corresponded with what was observed in the flat bones in general. A case quoted in Chapter III. p. 87, ill.u.s.trates the capacity of the hard edge of the bone to check the course of a bullet, and cause considerable deformity and fissuring of the mantle.

_Wounds of the jaws. Upper jaw._--A large number of tracks crossing the antrum transversely, obliquely, or vertically were observed. In the first case the nasal cavity, in the others the orbital or buccal cavity, were generally concurrently involved. It was somewhat striking that I never observed any trouble, immediate or remote, from these perforations of the antrum. If haemorrhage into the cavity occurred, it gave rise to no ultimate trouble. I never saw an instance of secondary suppuration even in cases where the bullet entered or escaped through the alveolar process with considerable local comminution. The branches of the second division of the fifth nerve were sometimes implicated. In one instance a bullet traversed and cut away a longitudinal groove in the bones, extending from the posterior margin of the hard palate, and terminating by a wide notch in the alveolar process.

A good example of a troublesome transverse wound of the bones of the face is afforded by the following instance:--

(81) _Entry_ (Mauser), through the left malar eminence, 1 inch below and external to the external canthus; _exit_, a slightly curved tranverse slit in the lobe of the right ear.

The injury was followed by no signs of orbital concussion, and no loss of consciousness. There was free bleeding from both external wounds and from the nose. The sense of smell was unaffected, but taste was impaired, and there was loss of tactile sensation in the teeth on the left side also on the hard palate. There was no evidence of fracture of the neck of the mandible, nor of the external auditory meatus, but there was considerable difficulty in opening the mouth widely or protruding the teeth. The latter difficulty persisted for some time, and was still present when I last saw the patient.

_Mandible._--Fractures of the lower jaw were frequent and offered some peculiarities, the chief of which were the liability of any part of the bone to be damaged, and the absence of the obliquity between the cleft in the outer and inner tables so common in the fractures seen in civil practice.

The neck of the condyle I three times saw fractured; in each instance permanent stiffness and inability to open the mouth resulted. This stiffness was of a degree sufficient to raise the question whether the best course in such cases would not be to cut down primarily and remove a considerable number of loose fragments, and thus diminish the amount of callus likely to be thrown out.

Fractures of the ascending ramus and body were more frequent. They were accompanied by considerable comminution, but all that I observed healed remarkably well, and in good position, in spite of the fact that many of the patients objected to wear any form of splint.

The most special feature was the occurrence of notched fractures, corresponding to the type wedges described in Chapter V. When these fractures were at the lower margin of the bone, the buccal cavity occasionally escaped in spite of considerable comminution, the latter confining itself to the basal portion of the bone.

When the base of the teeth, or the alveolus, was struck, a wedge was often broken away, and from the apex of the resulting gap a fracture extended to the lower margin of the bone.

When fractures of the latter nature resulted from vertically coursing bullets, much trouble often ensued. I will quote two cases in ill.u.s.tration:--

(82) Wounded at Rooipoort. _Entry_ (Mauser), through the lower lip; the bullet struck the base of the right lateral incisor and canine teeth, knocked out a wedge, and becoming slightly deflected, cut a vertical groove to the base of the mandible; _exit_, in left submaxillary triangle. The bullet subsequently re-entered the chest wall just below the clavicle, and escaped at the anterior axillary fold. The appearance of these second wounds suggested only slight setting up of the bullet; the original impact was no doubt of an oblique or lateral character.

The injury was followed by free haemorrhage and remarkably abundant salivation (I was inclined to think that the latter symptom was particularly well marked in gunshot fractures of the body of the mandible), and very great swelling of the floor of the mouth.

The patient could not bear any form of apparatus, but was a.s.siduous in was.h.i.+ng out his mouth, and made a good recovery, the fragments being in good apposition.

(83) _Entry_ (Mauser), over the right malar eminence; the bullet carried away all the right upper and lower molars, fractured the mandible, and was retained in the neck.

A fortnight later an abscess formed in the lower part of the neck, which was opened (Mr. Pooley), and portions of the mantle and leaden core, together with numerous fragments of the teeth, were removed. The bullet had undergone fragmentation on impact, probably on the last one (teeth of mandible), and still retained sufficient force to enter the neck.

This case affords an interesting example of transmission of force from the bullet to the teeth, and bears on the theory of explosive action.

In the treatment of fractures of the upper jaw, interference was rarely needed. In the case of the mandible, a remark has already been made as to the advisability of removing fragments when the neck of the condyle has suffered comminution. The removal of loose fragments is necessary in all cases in which the buccal cavity is involved. Experience in fracture of the limbs has shown a tendency to quiet necrosis when comminution was severe, in spite of primary union. This is no doubt dependent on the very free separation of fragments on the entry and exit aspects from their enveloping periosteum. In the case of the mandible, considerable necrosis is inevitable, and much time is saved by the primary removal of all actually loose fragments.

A splint of the ordinary chin-cap type with a four-tailed bandage meets all further requirements, but the patients often object to them. Cases in which the fragments could be fixed by wiring the teeth were not common, as the latter had so frequently been carried away. The usual precautions as to maintaining oral asepsis were especially necessary.

The results of fractures of the mandible were, in so far as my experience went, remarkably good, as deformity was seldom considerable.

The absence of obliquity and the effect of primary local shock were no doubt favourable elements, little primary displacement from muscular action occurring.

Wounds of the _cheek_ healed readily, and the same was noticeable of the lips. Wounds of the _tongue_ healed with remarkable rapidity when of the simple perforating type, often with little or no swelling or evidence of contusion. At the end of a few days it was often difficult to localise them.