Removal of firearm projectile from the maxillary sinus: a case report

Abstract

Foreign bodies in the paranasal sinuses after critical accidents are rare occurrences that have sporadically been reported worldwide. Firearm projectiles, daggers, knives, glass fragments, stones, teeth, and wood can get lodged in the soft and hard tissues of the face. The management and prognosis in these cases depend on the composition and location of the foreign body as well as on the presence or absence of infection. Although there are reports involving the soft tissues of the face, the ethmoid, sphenoid, frontal, and maxillary sinuses are the most frequently involved sites. The main manifestation of this condition is sinusitis arising from infection and/or inflammation caused by the foreign body, which is a contaminated object. We report a case of removal of a firearm projectile located in the maxillary sinus of a 34-year-old patient under local anesthesia.