PURPOSE: To describe the neuro-ophthalmic findings in a group of patients with head trauma. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all patients who were given a diagnosis code of cerebral concussion and cerebral contusion in a hospital between 1995 and 2003. A total of 1284 consecutive patients were reviewed (972 [76%] men and 312 [24%] women). The mean age was 40.36 years. Motor vehicle accident was the most common cause of head trauma, occurring in 944 (74%) patients. RESULTS: Ophthalmological examination was undertaken in 308 (24%) head trauma patients and an abnormal neuro-ophthalmic examination result was noted in 122 patients (9.5% of total patients, 40% of ophthalmologically examined patients). Traumatic optic neuropathy was the most common manifestation, followed by oculomotor, abducens, trochlear, facial nerve palsy, Terson syndrome and internuclear ophthalmoplegia. Loss of consciousness and cerebral concussion were not associated with any outcomes, but the presence of neuroimaging (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) abnormality, particularly intracranial hemorrhage and skull fracture, was significantly associated with neuro-ophthalmic deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Head trauma causes a number of neuro-ophthalmic manifestations. Intracranial hemorrhage and skull fracture may be a reliable predictor of specific neuro-ophthalmic outcomes.
Brain Concussion ; Contusions ; Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Diagnosis ; Facial Nerve ; Head* ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Male ; Motor Vehicles ; Neuroimaging ; Ocular Motility Disorders ; Optic Nerve Injuries ; Paralysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull Fractures ; Unconsciousness

OBJECTIVE: The goal of our study was to identify and evaluate risk factors for late post-traumatic seizure. METHODS: This study is a retrospective clinical analysis of 52cases of late post-traumatic seizures among 1472 head injury patients treated in our institute from July 1986 to June 1996 and at least followed up over 2 years after head injury. RESULTS: 1) The incidence of late post-traumatic seizure was 3.5% of patients treated for head injury. 2) The factors affecting the incidence of late post-traumatic seizure were initial low Glasgow coma scale(3-8), subdural hematoma, depressed skull fracture(p<0.05). 3) Skull fracture located in temporal area showed higher incidence of late post-traumatic seizure(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The risk factors for post-traumatic seizure are subdural hematoma, initial low Glasgow coma scale, depressed skull fracture and temporal bone fracture. Both newer antiepileptic drugs and therapies aimed at prevening the brain damage that underlies the development of seizures need to be studied to find an effective way of preventing late post-traumatic seizure through prospective study.
Anticonvulsants ; Brain ; Coma ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Epilepsy, Post-Traumatic* ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Humans ; Incidence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Seizures ; Skull ; Skull Fracture, Depressed ; Skull Fractures ; Temporal Bone

During 3-year period, fourteen patients with air bubble in acute extradural hematomas were seen among 84 consecutively cases of extradural hematomas for a frequency of 16.7%. Extradural air were classified into 3 groups based on the location of air bubble ;frontal type(4 cases), temporal type(8 cases) & occipital type(2 cases). A skull fracture was seen in all cases & the air entrance was considered to frontobasal or laterobasal skull fractere. In patients with 4 cases of CSF leak & multiple air bubbles, delayed expansion of extradural hematoma was seen. The clinical significance of air bubble in acute extradural hematoma is disscussed.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Pneumocephalus ; Skull ; Skull Fractures

The ‘white-eyed’ blowout fracture is an orbital injury in children that is often initially misdiagnosed as a head injury because of predominant autonomic features and lack of soft tissue signs. Delays in treatment can lead to morbidity. It has been recommended that children who present with a ‘white-eyed’ blowout fracture should have surgery performed within 48 hours of diagnosis, otherwise prognosis is poor. We present a 12-year-old boy who was initially misdiagnosed with a head injury due to the minor appearance of his orbital injury and his presenting complaints of nausea and vomiting.
Brain Concussion ; Child ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Nausea ; Orbit ; Orbital Fractures ; Prognosis ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: This study is to analyze the frequency and pattern of associated injuries in patients with facial fractures. METHODS: A retrospective method was used to study facial fracture patients visiting our emergency room from May 2002 to April 2003. The patient's age, sex, injury mechanism, location of facial fracture, and associated injuries, as well as the records of emergency procedures and emergency operations were examined. RESULTS: During the research, a total number of 206 patients with facial fractures were examined. As for the injury mechanism, traffic accidents were the primary cause with 40.3%. Orbital fracture was the most common overall facial fracture (44.7%). Ninety-seven (47.1%) patients had associated injuries. Fifty-nine of those patients had head injuries, 48 had extremity injuries, 17 had chest injuries, 14 had abdominal injuries, and 13 had spine injuries. Among the facial-fracture patients, patients with maxillary fractures had the most associated injuries (95.3%). Of those associated injuries, head injuries were the most commonly reported ones (48.3%). The emergency procedures used were intubations (9) and thoracostomies (4). The emergency operations performed were craniotomies (5) and exploratory laparotomies (2). Four patients died due to brain injuries. CONCILUSION: Associated injuries often occur in patients with facial fractures. Head and extremity injuries are the most common associated injuries. We believe emergency physicians can maximize the effectiveness of their treatment of patients with facial fractures and their associated injuries through a coordinated team approach, while minimizing the complications and sequelae.
Abdominal Injuries ; Accidents, Traffic ; Brain Injuries ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Craniotomy ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Extremities ; Facial Bones ; Head ; Humans ; Intubation ; Laparotomy ; Maxillary Fractures ; Orbital Fractures ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; Thoracic Injuries ; Thoracostomy

Head injury is a common presenting complaint amongst emergency department patients. To date, there has been no widespread utilization of neuro-biomarkers to aid the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury. This review article explores which neuro-biomarkers could be used in the emergency department in aiding the clinical diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury. Based on the available evidence, the most promising neuro-biomarkers appear to be Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase Isozyme L1 (UCH-L1) as these show significant rises in peripheral blood levels shortly after injury and these have been demonstrated to correlate with long-term clinical outcomes. Treatment strategies for minor traumatic brain injury in the emergency department setting are not well developed. The introduction of blood neuro-biomarkers could reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and provide an opportunity to improve the care of this patient group.
Biomarkers ; Brain Concussion ; Brain Injuries* ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Diagnosis* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; Humans ; Radiation Exposure ; Ubiquitin Thiolesterase

Bacterial meningitis after head trauma is a rare complication, but the cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) leakage after head trauma greatly increases the risk of bacterial meningitis. Most of the infections passes through the defects in the basal skull fracture, and Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common organism. MRI, coronal thin sections of cranial CT and radioiosotope cisternography are considered to diagnose the CSF fistulae. We report a case of a 14-year-old girl with pneumococcal meningitis complicated by CSF rhinorrhea following an asymptomatic period of 3 years after head trauma. We found a bone defect of the cribrium of the skull base by means of paranasal sinus CT scanning and MRI.
Adolescent ; Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; Meningitis, Pneumococcal* ; Skull Base ; Skull Fractures ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea can be caused by head trauma, brain or sinus surgery, or neoplastic sinonasal disease. There are many diverse techniques for repairing skull base defects, and recently there has been a shift from using external approaches to endoscopic approaches. The reported success rate after endoscopic repair is 97%, but CSF rhinorrhea may recur in some cases. Recently, we witnessed one case of recurrent CSF rhinorrhea from the posterior wall of the frontal sinus after a traffic accident. The patient was a 48-year-old male and had recurrent CSF rhinorrhea, severe pneumocephalus and mental change even after a CSF leakage repair operation was performed by the neurosurgeon using the periosteal flap. We successfully treated recurrent frontal CSF rhinorrhea with fat graft and mucosal graft, using the above and below approach with the guidance of a navigation system.
Accidents, Traffic ; Brain ; Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Frontal Sinus* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurosurgeons ; Pneumocephalus ; Skull Base ; Transplants

The prognosis of severe head injured patients (Glasgow coma scale 3 to 8) was assessed through clinical prognostic factors in 209 cases, retrospectively. Severe head injured patients were 9.1% of all head trauma and 55% of cases were diffuse brain injury. Mechanism of injury were motorvehicle accident, falls, bicycle, and others. The patients with normal pupillary reaction had a significantly higher percentage of good outcome (77%) than the patient with bilateral 3rd nerve palsy (14.2%)(p<0.0001), 79% of good motor responsive patients had a good outcome compared to none of patients with poor motor response(p<0.0001). The patients with short duration of unawareness(within 30days) significantly higher percentage of good outcome(98%) than the patients with long duration of unawaereness(24%)(p<0.0001). The patients with initial high GCS score(6-8 score) had a significantly higher good outcome(58%) than the patients with low GCS score(3-5 score)(p<0.0001), 87% of pediatric patients had a good outcome compared to 38% of adults(p<0.0001). The diffuse head injured patients without basal cistern compression had a significantly hgher percentage of good outcome(83%) than the patients with basal cistern compression(41%)(p<0.0001), 62% of patients with skull fracture had a good outcome compared to 39% of patients without skull fracture(39%)(p<0.0017). Individual prognostic factors affect to patient's outcome and utilize to be powerful tool for assessing the relative efficacy of alternative treatments as well as patient's prognosis.
Brain Injuries ; Coma ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Head* ; Humans ; Paralysis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull ; Skull Fractures

The present study compares the outcome of adult and pediatric patients with severe diffuse brain injury, and analyzes factors affecting the prognosis related to age difference. Of 912 patients admitted with head injury during the past three years, 223(1.7%) patients were identified as severe diffuse brain injury. Among the 223 patients. 100 patients were 15 years of age or less as the pediatric group. The mortality rate for pediatric and adult group was 39.0% and 48.8%, respectively. The common factors affecting poor prognosis for both groups were Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS) of 5 or less, papillary abnormality, hypoxia(PaO2<60 mmHg), the presence of skull fracture(basilar skull fracture in children, and basilar or vault skull fracture in adult group), diffuse brain swelling, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage, and thin subdural hematoma. The factors affecting prognostic difference between the adult and pediatric group with diffuse brain injury were the presence of vault skull fracture(p<0.01) and diffuse brain swelling(p<0.05). In patients associated with vault skull fracture or diffuse brain swelling, adult group had a significantly poorer outcome than child group.
Adult ; Brain ; Brain Edema ; Brain Injuries* ; Child ; Coma ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Skull ; Skull Fractures ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage