The effects of removal of bullet fragments retained in the spinal canal : a collaborative study by the national spinal cord injury model systems

Serial motor and sensory examinations were conducted on 90 patients with bullet fragments lodged in the spinal canal. Annual follow-up examinations were completed on 66 patients. Despite the fact that approximately 20% of the bullets had perforated the alimentary canal, no cases of infection were noted. Statistical analyses indicated that removal of the bullet fragments made no significant difference with regard to reducing pain or improving the recovery of sensation. However, bullet removal did have an effect on motor recovery, depending on the level at which the lesion occurred. Among those patients with lesions between vertebral levels T12 and L4, there was significantly greater (P less than 0.001) motor recovery in those patients from whom the bullet was removed from than in patients not having bullet removal. Bullet removal from the canal between T1 and T11 had no significant effect on motor recovery.