DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2017.v05i10.004

Pages: 613-614

A rhinoceros attacked and gored a breeding staff member with its horn. The staff member was gored in the upper right quadrant and he fell down. Upon arrival, he was in a state of pre-shock. Enhanced CT revealed hepatic rupture at the right lobe with extravasation. He required transfusion twice during hospitalization following urgent selective embolization. The patient was discharged on foot, after it had been confirmed that the area of hepatic injury had decreased in size on enhanced CT. Similarly to handle bar injury or horse kick injury, which are referred to as hidden spear injuries, the present case shows that the injuries caused by a rhinoceros horn attack have the potential to be severe or fatal, because the transfer of energy from the end of the horn to a small field can lead to internal organ injuries that are more severe than predicted.