Hearing loss in minor head injury.
A prospective otological and audiological study was made of 130 consecutive persons with head injuries. A comparison was made with 87 consecutive persons with traumatic injuries but without head injuries. Five (4%) of the persons with head injuries had an unsuspected temporal bone fracture evident on otoscopy but not on routine skull roentgenography. These persons had a significant sensorineural hearing loss at 4 and 8 kHz compared with other patients with head injuries. Routine otoscopic examination is considered advisable in all persons with head injuries. No significant difference in the hearing was detected in persons with head injuries without a temporal bone fracture compared with control subjects.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000150:complications; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000293:injuries