Dos patologías, un paciente

Objective:To present a clinical case of multiple lacerating injuries to the head and neck associated with the concomitant finding of a preexisting, unrelated pathology.Case report:A patient was admitted to the emergency department with multiple stab wounds to the head and neck. A head and neck computed tomography scan revealed a frontal brain lesion and a skull fracture. The patient was taken immediately to the operating room due to life-threatening neck injuries, where surgical exploration, wound debridement, and suturing were performed. Given the suspicion that the encephalic lesion was not directly related to the traumatic mechanism, consultations with neurosurgery and infectious diseases were requested. The diagnosis of HIV infection at the AIDS stage was subsequently confirmed.From an ophthalmologic perspective, the patient presented preserved visual acuity in both eyes, with no evidence of retinal injury or extraocular motility impairment despite bilateral orbital involvement.Conclusion:Polytraumatized patients may present with coexisting conditions that are not always etiologically related. In this case, the traumatic injuries were not responsible for the identified encephalic lesion, which corresponded to a preexisting pathology.