[Misleading anisocoria in a comatose 15-year-old with head injury].
Anisocoria after blunt head trauma, associated with altered vigilance, is not unusually assumed to expanding intracranial mass lesion. Obvious signs of head-trauma and vomiting might strengthen this diagnosis. We report from an unconscious 15-year-old girl (Glasgow-Coma-Scale score 3) that showed these symptoms secondary after head-trauma due to alcohol intoxication but turned out to be misleading after cranial computed tomography (CT). Surprisingly, an artificial eye was found that previously remained undetected in clinical examination. Artificial eyes implemented after enucleation therapy in retinoblastoma or eye-trauma are nowadays perfectly fitting. Prehospital discrimination of artificial eyes and natural eyes might be difficult in comatose emergency patients. Neurological examination should check corneal reflex and manual palpation of the bulbus. Independent from anisocoria, patients presenting GCS 3 and head injury need rapid admission to CT-diagnostic, neurosurgical treatment respectively.
Struck
M F
MF
Operative Intensivstation, Klinik für Anaesthesiologie, Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin, BG-Kliniken Bergmannstrost, Merseburger Strasse 165, 06112 Halle, Deutschland. manuelstruck@web.de
Bergert
H
H
Hohaus
C
C
Kaden
I
I
Stuttmann
R
R
Hilbert
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D015875:Anisocoria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003128:Coma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005137:Eye, Artificial; D005260:Female; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans