Tympanal bone fracture in forensic practice

A tympanal bone fracture is an uncommon complication of head trauma and is mostly associated with a mandibular or petrous bone fracture. Upon reviewing the medicolegal literature, we could not find any publications on this topic. Tympanal bone fracture may lead to chronic complications (including external auditory canal stenosis and conductive hearing loss), with an important impact in both the medical and judiciary fields (e.g., chronic disabilities with loss of income). We decided to investigate the prevalence and mechanisms of tympanal bone fractures by means of a retrospective observational study on living victims who underwent head computed tomography after blunt head trauma and clinical forensic investigation at our center. We selected 159 cases of living victims with blunt head trauma (following an assault, traffic accident, or work accident) between January 2016 and December 2020. Re-examination of head imaging revealed 12 cases of tympanal bone fracture. Seven individuals showed cranial fractures involving the petrous bone (on the same side as the tympanal bone fracture). Three individuals had a temporomandibular fracture after a fall with chin impact. Only two victims exhibited an isolated tympanal bone fracture.

Traumatic Anterior Dislocation of Ocular Cataract Lens

Case presentation: A 33-year-old male presented to the emergency department following a motor vehicle collision with complaints of right eye pain after hitting his head on the steering wheel. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) revealed retinal detachment and an anterior lens dislocation. Discussion: Lens dislocations following blunt head trauma can often be diagnosed using POCUS. Anterior ocular lens dislocation is a rare but vision-threatening result of head trauma. This case highlights how POCUS can facilitate early detection of ocular pathology, such as lens dislocation, and improves patient outcomes.

Inner Ear Symptoms Are Prevalent in Patients with High Head Abbreviated Injury Scale Scores after Blunt Head Trauma

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The purpose of this article was to determine the prevalence of inner ear symptoms in patients with blunt head trauma and to explore whether the severity of head trauma was associated with the incidence of such symptoms. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We performed a retrospective review of 56 patients admitted with blunt head trauma who underwent audiovestibular evaluation within 1 month after injury. Two scales were used to measure the severity of trauma; these were the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Head Abbreviated Injury Scale (H-AIS). Patients with sensorineural-type hearing loss, or dizziness with nystagmus, were considered to have inner ear symptoms. <b><i>Results:</i></b> About half of all patients (45%) with blunt head trauma showed trauma-related inner ear symptoms. Patients with inner ear symptoms were significantly more likely to have H-AIS scores ≥4 than those without inner ear symptoms (<i>p</i> = 0.004), even without concomitant temporal bone fracture (<i>p</i> &#x3e; 0.05). Also, patients with inner ear symptoms required a statistically significantly longer time (measured from admission) before undergoing their ontological evaluations than did those without such symptoms (<i>p</i> = 0.002), possibly due to prolonged bed rest and use of sedatives. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Thus, detailed history-taking and early evaluation using trauma scales are essential for all patients suffering from severe head trauma. It may be necessary to initiate early treatment of traumatic inner ear diseases.

A Review of Traumatic Axonal Injury

Traumatic brain injury is a major cause of mortality and neurological disability worldwide and varies according to its cause, pathogenesis, severity and clinical outcome. This review summarizes a significant aspect of diffuse brain injuries – traumatic axonal injury – important cause of severe disability and vegetative state. Traumatic axonal injury is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by blunt head trauma. It is defined both clinically (immediate and prolonged unconsciousness, characteristically in the absence of space-occupying lesions) and pathologically (widespread and diffuse damage of axons). Following traumatic brain injury, progressive axonal degeneration starts with disruption of axonal transport, axonal swelling, secondary axonal disconnection and Wallerian degeneration, respectively. However, traumatic axonal injury is difficult to define clinically, it should be considered in patients with Glasgow coma score < 8 for more than six hours after trauma and diffuse tensor imaging and sensitivity-weighted imaging MRI sequences are highly sensitive in its diagnosis. Glasgow coma score at the time of presentation, location and severity of axonal damage are prognostic factors for clinical outcome.

ACCURACY OF PECARN DECISION RULE IN MINOR BLUNT HEAD TRAUMA IN PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: A META-ANALYSIS

Background: Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) is a useful Clinical Decision Support Tool (CDST) to identify traumatic brain injuries and reduce the use of head CT scans among pediatric patients. The present Meta-analysis aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the PECARN rule from 2009 to 2020 in children with a very low risk of blunt head trauma. Methods: A detailed search was conducted from the databases of Medline (via PubMed), Cinahl (via Ebsco), Scopus, Web of Sciences, from 2009 till the end of December 2020 using the keywords like decrease use of CT scan, blunt head trauma (BHT) combined with accuracy, Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) OR Clinical Decision Support Tool (CDST). Studies showing the diagnostic accuracy of the PECARN rule in children younger than 18 years of age with minor BHT were included. Results: 13 studies were included in the present analysis. Pooled sensitivity of 0.08, (95% confidence interval of 0.074 - 0.087), pooled specificity of 0.20 ( 95% CI of 0.196 - 0.213) and diagnostic odds ratio of 0.004 (95% CI of 0.000-0.1666) was in <2 years of age. The overall sensitivity of 0.07, specificity of 0.66, and diagnostic odds ratio of 0.54 (95% CI of 0.10 -2.78) was seen in ≥2 years of age. Overall sensitivity of 0.13 (95% CI 0.12-0.14), specificity of 0.81 (95% CI 0.80-0.82) and diagnostic odds ratio of 0.79 (95% CI of 0.08 -7.71) was in 0-18 years of age. Conclusion: The present analysis indicates the PECARN decision tool as an accurate CDST in low-risk minor blunt head trauma cases in children below two years of age and can become a useful tool in reducing Head CT’s scan overuse in pediatric emergency departments.

Impact of Preinjury Antithrombotic Therapy on 30–Day Mortality in Older Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Objective: Elderly patients are frequently in need of antithrombotic therapy for reducing thrombotic events. The association between antithrombotic drugs and survival after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is, nevertheless, unclear.Methods: This retrospective study included patients ≥65 years admitted to a Norwegian Level 1 trauma center with TBI identified on cerebral computed tomography (cerebral-CT) during 2014–2019. Preinjury use of antiplatelets and anticoagulants was compared to the prescription rate in the general Norwegian population. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses estimated the association between the use of antithrombotic drugs and mortality.Results: The study includes 832 consecutive TBI patients ≥65 years. The median age was 76 years, 58% were males, 51% had moderate or severe TBI, and 39% had multiple traumas. Preinjury use of antithrombotics was registered in 471/832 (55.6%) patients; antiplatelet therapy alone in 268, anticoagulant therapy alone in 172, and combined antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in 31. Antiplatelet use did not differ between the study cohort and the general Norwegian population ≥65 years (31 vs. 31%, p = 0.87). Anticoagulant therapy was used more commonly in the study cohort than in the general Norwegian population (24 vs. 19%, p = 0.04). Combined use of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy was significantly associated with 30-day mortality, while preinjury antiplatelet or anticoagulation treatment alone was not. No difference in 30-day mortality between patients using VKA, DOACs, or LMWH was encountered.Conclusions: In this cohort, neither antiplatelet nor anticoagulant therapy alone was associated with increased 30-day mortality. Anticoagulant use was more prevalent among TBI patients than the general population, suggesting that anticoagulation might contribute to the initiation of intracranial bleeding after blunt head trauma. Combined antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy posed increased risk of 30-day mortality.