Abstract
A 30-year-old man was impaled by a reinforced steel rod after slipping down a slope and onto the rod, which had been leaning against the slope. The rod entered his body through the right scrotum and continued upwards for approximately 50 cm. Computed tomography showed the entire internal length of the impaled rod, from the right scrotum to the abdominal cavity at the level of the right costal arch. Emergency laparotomy revealed a 2-cm-long diaphragmatic tear, superior and dorsal to the tip of the rod, which was then repaired. There was no injuries to any of the organs. In the time between the injury and surgery, the tip of the rod had migrated from the thorax to the abdominal cavity, probably due to repositioning post injury. In cases of impalement, it is important to consider that the impaled object may move within the body when the position of the patient is changed.
