Impacted leopard tooth in thyroid gland of victim in a case of leopard attack – A case report

Attacks by wild animals on humans are not rare in India. Most of the cases are seen in rural areas and areas adjoining forest lands. The nature of the attack may be predatory or defensive. The main culprit for this is deforestation and encroachment of humans into the natural habitats of wild animals. Wild animal attacks can cause very severe injuries, including lacerations, fractures, and vascular injuries, and are often associated with high rates of mortality. Treatment depends on the type and nature of the injury. Those who survive the initial attack often succumb to infection and septicemia during the early hospital stay. Psychiatric complications are also common in survivors. We present the case of a 70-year-old man, who was attacked by a leopard. He sustained a few lacerated bite injuries to the neck and was treated at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. A computed tomography scan of the neck revealed a tooth of the animal impacted in the thyroid gland of the patient. The patient is currently receiving treatment for deranged thyroid function, and awaiting normalization of the same, to get anesthetic fitness for surgical removal of the tooth. Treating surgeons must be well aware of the patterns of injuries and their treatment in cases of animal attack injuries. In-depth clinical and radiological investigations are of utmost importance to find out occult injuries that may become life-threatening. A standardized treatment protocol needs to be developed for the treatment of wild animal attack victims. There is a need to extend health care into the remote areas of the nation, for early treatment of such cases.