Gunshot pellet embolus to the middle cerebral artery.

A 24-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the upper right hemithorax and neck, with injury to the subclavian and carotid arteries. A cerebral artery pellet embolus resulted in contralateral hemiplegia. The injured vessels were repaired, but the middle cerebral artery pellet was left undisturbed. Neurologic improvement occurred. Fifteen cases of foreign body embolus to cerebral vessels are reviewed and the management of this unusual injury is discussed.