Transorbital penetrating injury of the paranasal sinuses

Abstract

Penetrating injuries of the paranasal sinuses due to foreign bodies are rare, especially as a result of a traffic accident. Here we report a patient with a ballpoint pen lodged in his left eye following a traffic accident. The pen extended from the medial aspect of the left orbit, through the left ethmoid sinus and the nasal septum, to the right sphenoid sinus. We removed the pen uneventfully using endoscopic sinus surgery. There are no similar reports in the English literature and we therefore present this case because of its rarity.