A Case with a Shotgun Wound to the Cheek in which the Bullet was Retained in the Maxillary Sinus

Abstract

Gunshot wounds are uncommon in Japan because gun possession is illegal. We report a case with a shotgun wound to the cheek. The patient was a 64-year-old man who was accidentally shot with a shotgun while hunting. He was alert and had no apparent neurological defects. He complained of cheek pain and nasal bleeding, and a bullet wound was observed in his left cheek. Computed tomography revealed a bullet lodged in the left maxillary sinus. We removed the bullet during endoscopic sinus surgery.