Retained knife blade: an unusual cause for headache following massive alcohol intake

Emerg Med J. 2006 Feb;23(2):e13. doi: 10.1136/emj.2004.021923.

Abstract

Massive alcohol intake usually resolves in a banal headache. We report a case of a patient presenting with acute alcohol intoxication in which the ensuing "hangover" was due to a knife blade deeply retained in the brain parenchyma. This case underlines the unpredictability of retained foreign bodies without a high level of suspicion and a detailed description of the circumstances of admission.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcoholic Intoxication / complications*
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Brain Injuries / complications*
  • Foreign Bodies / complications*
  • Foreign Bodies / diagnostic imaging
  • Headache / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Wounds, Stab / complications*