Nail Gun Injury of the Trachea and Spinal Cord

INTRODUCTION: A 26-year-old man was impaled by a nail after a nail gun accident. He was fully conscious with weakness and loss of sensation in the extremities. Cervical computed tomography showed a 9-centimeter long nail penetrating the spinal cord. The nail was removed surgically six hours after the incident. Neurological deficits gradually improved, and at three-month follow-up the patient had completely recovered from muscle weakness and reported only mild sensory deficits in the bilateral sole of his foot. DISCUSSION: This case showed a favorable neurological course, which may be attributed to the fact that the cervical spinal cord injury did not involve the corticospinal tracts and anterior horn.