[Potential neurosurgical damage of rubber bullets. Analysis of 2 pediatric cases].

We present 2 cases of craniocerebral injuries in children caused by rubber bullets. The potential severity of these projectiles is discussed. The first case was an eleven-year-old boy who died a few days after having been injured by a rubber bullet during a riot. He presented with a bi-hemispheric fronto-parietal craniocerebral injury with massive intraventricular hemorrhage. The second case was a fourteen-year-old boy also injured by a similar rubber bullet with an important left fronto-temporal cerebral contusion. These projectiles were composed of a metal cylinder (length: 1.7 cm, diameter: 1.7 cm) covered by a 2 mm layer of rubber. The term "rubber bullet" could give the impression that these projectiles are harmless. But, based on these observations and on the literature, these rubber bullets (like their predecessors) can induce severe, or even fatal craniocerebral injuries.