The “Twin Peaks” Sign: A Distinct Radiological Sign Suggesting Caution for Pneumocephalus and Anterior Skull Base Fracture in the Setting of Epistaxis after Head Injury

OBJECT This article introduces a classification scheme for extensive traumatic anterior skull base fracture to help stratify surgical treatment options. The authors describe their multilayer repair technique for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak resulting from extensive anterior skull base fracture using a combination of laterally pediculated temporalis fascial-pericranial, nasoseptal-pericranial, and anterior pericranial flaps. METHODS Retrospective chart review identified patients treated surgically between January 2004 and May 2014 for anterior skull base fractures with CSF fistulas. All patients were treated with bifrontal craniotomy and received pedicled tissue flaps. Cases were classified according to the extent of fracture: Class I (frontal bone/sinus involvement only); Class II (extent of involvement to ethmoid cribriform plate); and Class III (extent of involvement to sphenoid bone/sinus). Surgical repair techniques were tailored to the types of fractures. Patients were assessed for CSF leak at follow-up. The Fisher exact test was applied to investigate whether the repair techniques were associated with persistent postoperative CSF leak. RESULTS Forty-three patients were identified in this series. Thirty-seven (86%) were male. The patients’ mean age was 33 years (range 11–79 years). The mean overall length of follow-up was 14 months (range 5–45 months). Six fractures were classified as Class I, 8 as Class II, and 29 as Class III. The anterior pericranial flap alone was used in 33 patients (77%). Multiple flaps were used in 10 patients (3 salvage) (28%)—1 with Class II and 9 with Class III fractures. Five (17%) of the 30 patients with Class II or III fractures who received only a single anterior pericranial flap had persistent CSF leak (p < 0.31). No CSF leak was found in patients who received multiple flaps. Although postoperative CSF leak occurred only in high-grade fractures with single anterior flap repair, this finding was not significant. CONCLUSIONS Extensive anterior skull base fractures often require aggressive treatment to provide the greatest long-term functional and cosmetic benefits. Several vascularized tissue flaps can be used, either alone or in combination. Vascularized flaps are an ideal substrate for cranial base repair. Dual and triple flap techniques that combine the use of various anterior, lateral, and nasoseptal flaps allow for a comprehensive arsenal in multilayered skull base repair and salvage therapy for extensive and severe fractures.

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Supraorbital approach for repair of open anterior skull base fracture

Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics ◽

10.3171/ped.2008.2.12.420 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2 (6) ◽

pp. 420-423 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Katalin A. Szabo ◽

Samuel H. Cheshier ◽

M. Yashar S. Kalani ◽

Jonathan W. Kim ◽

Raphael Guzman

Keyword(s):

Skull Base ◽

Recovery Time ◽

Anterior Skull Base ◽

Dural Tear ◽

Penetrating Injuries ◽

Skull Base Fracture ◽

Orbital Roof ◽

Supraorbital Approach ◽

Left Eyelid ◽

Orbital Roof Fractures

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the use of anterior orbitotomy via the supraorbital eyelid crease to repair a dural tear caused by an orbital roof fracture. When transorbital penetrating injuries occur in children, they are commonly caused by accidental falls onto pointed objects. The authors report on their experience with a 7-year-old girl who fell onto a blunt metal rod hanger that penetrated her left eyelid, traversed superior to the eye globe, and penetrated the orbital roof at a depth of 3–4 cm, lacerating the dura mater and entering the cerebrum. An anterior transpalpebral transorbital approach was used to perform the microsurgical anterior skull base and dural repair. The authors advocate the application of this approach to orbital roof fractures because it provides excellent access to the orbital roof, eliminates the need for more invasive craniotomy, results in a small and well-hidden scar in the eye crease, and overall offers a shorter recovery time with less psychological stress to the patient.

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Cranial nerve injury after minor head trauma

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/2010.6.jns091620 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 113 (3) ◽

pp. 547-555 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Alejandro Fernández Coello ◽

Andreu Gabarrós Canals ◽

Juan Martino Gonzalez ◽

Juan José Acebes Martín

Keyword(s):

Head Injury ◽

Glasgow Coma Scale ◽

Skull Base ◽

Scale Score ◽

Head Trauma ◽

Glasgow Coma Scale Score ◽

Cranial Nerve ◽

Minor Head Trauma ◽

Skull Base Fracture ◽

Oculomotor Nerves

Object There are no specific studies about cranial nerve (CN) injury following mild head trauma (Glasgow Coma Scale Score 14–15) in the literature. The aim of this analysis was to document the incidence of CN injury after mild head trauma and to correlate the initial CT findings with the final outcome 1 year after injury. Methods The authors studied 49 consecutive patients affected by minor head trauma and CN lesions between January 2000 and January 2006. Detailed clinical and neurological examinations as well as CT studies using brain and bone windows were performed in all patients. Based on the CT findings the authors distinguished 3 types of traumatic injury: no lesion, skull base fracture, and other CT abnormalities. Patients were followed up for 1 year after head injury. The authors distinguished 3 grades of clinical recovery from CN palsy: no recovery, partial recovery, and complete recovery. Results Posttraumatic single nerve palsy was observed in 38 patients (77.6%), and multiple nerve injuries were observed in 11 (22.4%). Cranial nerves were affected in 62 cases. The most affected CN was the olfactory nerve (CN I), followed by the facial nerve (CN VII) and the oculomotor nerves (CNs III, IV, and VI). When more than 1 CN was involved, the most frequent association was between CNs VII and VIII. One year after head trauma, a CN deficit was present in 26 (81.2%) of the 32 cases with a skull base fracture, 12 (60%) of 20 cases with other CT abnormalities, and 3 (30%) of 10 cases without CT abnormalities. Conclusions Trivial head trauma that causes a minor head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale Score 14–15) can result in CN palsies with a similar distribution to moderate or severe head injuries. The CNs associated with the highest incidence of palsy in this study were the olfactory, facial, and oculomotor nerves. The trigeminal and lower CNs were rarely damaged. Oculomotor nerve injury can have a good prognosis, with a greater chance of recovery if no lesion is demonstrated on the initial CT scan.

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