Gunshot Wound

[JMadonna]

A burr hole in this case would probably cause herniation into the burr hole. Today he would have had most of his left temporal bone removed which allows the swelling to occur and the brain to expand freely without herniation. Also his blood pressure would remain greater than intracranial pressure and allow for adequate perfusion.

So could a trephine as shown here:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trephine
depending on the size could have done the job?

Thanks for the link Eva.