Temporal bone fractures. Review of 90 cases
C. R. Cannon and R. A. Jahrsdoerfer
Of 1,300 consecutive head-injured patients admitted to the hospital over a
20-month time period, 118 were found to have skull fractures, of which 22%
involved the temporal bone. These figures form part of a larger study of 90
temporal bone fractures treated over a six-year period from 1975 through
1981. The most common cause of a temporal bone fracture was a motor vehicle
accident occurring in 40/90 (44%) patients. Pertinent physical findings,
occurring alone or in combination, were a hemotympanum, bleeding from the
ear canal, tympanic membrane perforation, facial paralysis, and CSF
otorrhea. The diagnosis of temporal bone fractures is best made clinically
and radiographically. The early care of temporal bone fractures is directed
toward the treatment of CSF otorrhea and immediate onset facial paralysis.
The delayed care is primarily concerned with hearing rehabilitation.
