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Fish Bill Pierces Skull Base in Rare Fishing Injury
21 Jun
Summary
- A 31-year-old fisherman sustained a rare injury to the foramen magnum.
- A marlin's bill penetrated his mouth, entering the spinal canal.
- The fisherman made a full recovery with no lingering neurological symptoms.
A 31-year-old man in Louisiana experienced a highly unusual medical event following an ocean fishing trip. While attempting to release a hook from a white marlin, the fish jumped and struck him in the mouth with its bill, causing him to fall backward into the boat. He subsequently developed severe neck pain and stiffness.
Medical examinations revealed a tear in his throat. A CT scan identified a hyperdense object, later found to be a broken fish bill fragment, lodged at the base of his skull. This fragment had penetrated his spinal canal, piercing the foramen magnum, the crucial opening where the spinal cord connects to the brain.
Surgeons successfully removed the approximately 1.4-inch bill fragment through surgery. The patient received multiple antibiotics to prevent infection and was discharged eight days later. He completed a two-week course of antibiotics and fully recovered, showing no residual neurological symptoms, marking the first documented instance of a foramen magnum injury caused by a fish bill.
