Head Injuries

Fractures of the skull base TRAFFIC ACCIDENT

Temporal bone fracture

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+ 75% male patients

Temporal Bone Fracture :

1. Longitudinal Type

2. Transversal Type

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 Usually caused by blows to temporal or
parietal areas (Proctor, Gordjian and webster
1956 McHugh, 1959)

 The line of fracture occuring in the long axis of

its petrous portion

 Injury that may implicate the sound conducting

apparatus → CONDUCTIVE DEAFNESS

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 When the fracture line spreads into the thin
tegmen tympani bleeding may occur into the
tympanic cavity → Blue Drum (Haemotympanum)

 If the tympanic membran is torn, bleeding may

occur also into the auditory canal

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 If ecchymosis on the mastoid area is often
indication of bleeding into pneumatic space of
temporal bone (Guurrier, De Jean and Serrou,
1907)

 Conductive deafness due to head injury does

not always recover. Persistent of such
conductive deafness is due to disruption of the
ossicular chain.

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