Indian Journal of Neurotrauma 2007; 04(02): 89-100
DOI: 10.1016/S0973-0508(07)80022-0
Review Article
Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd.

Trauma to the cranial nerves

Harjinder S Bhatoe Col

Subject Editor:
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
05 April 2017 (online)

Abstract

Cranial nerve injury is often an overlooked aspect of neurotrauma, which is diagnosed later in the course of recovery. Most of these injuries do not require active intervention in the acute stage. Cranial nerve injuries are important cause of morbidity, which requires long-term management, repeated surgical procedures or reconstructive measures. Management of optic nerve injury remains controversial, and injury to lower cranial nerves may influence the ultimate outcome due to paralysis of aerodigestive passage. Cranial nerve injury in the setting of head injury should be diagnosed early, so that appropriate treatment can be planned early.

 
  • References

  • 1 Keane JR, Baloh RW. Post-traumatic cranial neuropathies. In, Evans RW. (ed). The Neurology of Trauma. 1992. Saunders; Philadelphia: 849-868
  • 2 Doty RL, Yousem DM, Pham LT. et al Olfactory dysfunction in patients with head trauma. Arch Neurol 54 1997; 1131-1140
  • 3 Schecter PJ, Henkin R. Abnormalities of taste and smell after head trauma. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiat 37 1974; 802-810
  • 4 Sumner D. Post-traumatic anosmia. Brain 87 1964; 107-120
  • 5 Levin HS, High WM, Elsnberg HM. Impairment of olfactory recognition after closed head injury. Brain 108 1985; 579-591
  • 6 Sumner D. Disturbance of the senses of smell and taste after head injuries. In, Vinken PJ, Bruyn BW. (eds). Handbook of Clinical Neurology Vol 24: Injuries of the Brain and Skull Part 2. 1976. Elsevier; Amsterdam: 1-25
  • 7 Jovic JN, Bajcetic D, Vucinic MD, Ocic G. Chemosensory impairment in missile head injury. Proceedings of International Conference on Military Medicine, 2002.
  • 8 Jafek BW, Eller PM, Esses BA, Moran DT. Post-traumatic anosmia. Arch Neurol 46 1989; 300-304
  • 9 Gjerris F. Traumatic lesion of visual pathway. In, Vinken PJ, Bruyn GW. (Eds). Handbook of Clinical Neurology. 24 1976. North Holland Publishing Company; Amsterdam: 24-57
  • 10 Mahapatra AK. Current management of optic nerve injury. Progress in Clinical Neurosciences 12 1997; 345-352
  • 11 Hughes B. Indirect injury of optic nerve and chiasm. Bull John Hop Hosp 111 1962; 98-126
  • 12 Crompton MR. Visual lesions in head injury. Brain 93 1970; 785-792
  • 13 Fukado Y. Microsurgical transethmoidal optic nerve decompression. Experience with 750 cases. In, Janetta P, Samii M. (eds). Cranial Nerves. 1981. Springer-Verlag; 125-128
  • 14 Mahapatra AK, Tandon DA, Bhatia R, Banerji AK. Optic nerve injury: A prospective study of 100 patients. Neurol India 40 1992; 17-21
  • 15 Mahapatra AK. Rationale of optic nerve decompression in optic nerve injury. Ind J Neurotrauma 01 2004; 33-36
  • 16 Patel P, Kalyanaraman S, Reginald J. et al Post-traumatic cranial nerve injury. Ind J Neurotrauma 02 2005; 27-32
  • 17 Anderson RA, Panje WR, Gross CE. Optic nerve blindness following blunt forehead trauma. Ophthalmology 89 1982; 445-455
  • 18 Gross CE, DeKock JR, Panje WR. et al Evidence for orbital deformity that may contribute to monocular blindness following minor frontal head trauma. J Neurosurg 55 1981; 963-966
  • 19 Neetens A. Traumatic bitemporal hemianopsia. Neuroophthalmology 12 1992; 375-383
  • 20 Walsh FB, Lindenberg R. Die Veranderugen ges. Schnervan beci indirectem trauma. In, Die Veranderugen ges. Schnervan beci indirectem trauma. Entiwicklung and Fortschritt in der Angenheilkundge-Fortbilung skurs tur Aurgenarze. Hamburg. 1963. Enke Verlag; Fredinand:
  • 21 Bhatoe HS, Suryanarayana KV, Gill HS. Recurrent massive epistaxis due to traumatic intracavernous internal carotid artery aneurysm. J Laryngol Otology 109 1995; 650-652
  • 22 Maurer MY, Mills M, German WJ. Triad of unilateral blindness, orbital fracture and massive epistaxis in head injury. J Neurosurg 18 1961; 837-846
  • 23 Mahapatra AK, Tandon DA. A prospective study of 250 patients with optic nerve injury. In: Madjid Samii. (Eds) Skull Base: Anatomy, Radiology and Management. 1994. S Karger Basel; 305-309
  • 24 Spoor TC, Hartel WC, Lensink DB, Wilkinson MJ. Treatment of traumatic optic neuropathy. Am J Ophthalmol 110 1990; 665-669
  • 25 Matsuzaki H, Kunita M, Kawai K. Optic nerve damage in head trauma: Clinical and experimental studies. Jpn J Ophthalmol 26 1982; 447-461
  • 26 Guy J, Sherwood M, Day AL. Surgical treatment of progressive visual loss in traumatic optic neuropathy. J Neurosurg 70 1989; 799-801
  • 27 Osterberg G. Traumatic bitemporal hemianopsia (sagittal tearing of the optic chiasma). Acta Ophthalmol 16 1938; 466-474
  • 28 Traquir HM, Dott NM, Russell WR. Traumatic lesions of the optic chiasma. Brain 58 1935; 398-411
  • 29 Rucker CW. The causes of paralysis of the third, fourth and sixth nerves. Am J Ophthalmol 61 1966; 1293-1298
  • 30 Rush JA, Younge BR. Paralysis of cranial nerve III, IV, andVI. Cause and prognosis in 1000 cases. Arch Ophthalmol 99 1981; 76-80
  • 31 McCormick WF. Pathology of closed head injury. In, Wilkins RH, Rengachary SS. (eds). Neurosurgery. 2 1996. McGraw-Hill; New York: 2639-2666
  • 32 Memon MY, Paine KWE. Direct injury of the oculomotor nerve in craniocerebral trauma. J Neurosurg 35 1971; 461-464
  • 33 Chen CC, Pai YM, Wang RF, Wang TL, Chang CF. Isolated oculomotor nerve palsy from head trauma. Br J Sports Med 39 2005; 234
  • 34 Walsh FB. Third nerve regeneration. Br J Ophthalmol 41 1957; 577-598
  • 35 Younge BR, Sutula F. Analysis of trochlear nerve palsies. Diagnosis, etiology and treatment. Mayo Clin Proc 52 1977; 11-18
  • 36 Lee J, Flynn JT. Bilateral superior oblique palsies. Br J Ophthalmol 69 1982; 508-513
  • 37 Cackett P, Fleck B, Mulhivill A. Bilateral fourth nerve palsy occurring after shaking injury in infancy. Journal AAPOS 08 2004; 280-281
  • 38 Sydnor CF, Seaber JH, Buckley EG. Traumatic superior oblique palsies. Ophthalmology 89 1982; 134-138
  • 39 Arias MJ. Bilateral traumatic abducens nerve palsy without skull fracture and with cervical spine fracture: Case report and review of literature. Neurosurgery 16 1985; 232-234
  • 40 Rosa L, Carol M, Bellegarrigue R, Ducker TB. Multiple cranial nerve palsies due to hyperextension injury to the cervical spine. Case report. J Neurosurg 61 1984; 172-173
  • 41 Jefferson G, Schorstein J. Injuries to the trigeminal nerve, its ganglion and its division. Br J Surg 42 1955; 561-581
  • 42 O’Connell JEA. Trigeminal false localizing signs and their causation. Brain 101 1978; 119-142
  • 43 Toglia JU, Katinsky S. Neuro-otological aspects of closed head injury. In, Vinken PJ, Bruyn GW. (Eds). Handbook of Clinical neurology. 24 1976. Elsevier; New York: 119-140
  • 44 Tos M. Fractures of the temporal bone. The course and sequelae in 248 fractures of the petrous temporal bone. Ugeskr Laeger 133 1971; 1449-1456
  • 45 DeVilliers JC. Fracture dislocation of the petrous temporal bone. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiat 34 1971; 105-106
  • 46 Turel Keki E, Sharma NK, Verghese Joy, Sanjeev Desai. Post-traumatic facial palsy: Treatment options and strategies. Ind J Neurotrauma 02 2005; 33-34
  • 47 Fisch U. Total facial nerve decompression and electroneurography. In, Silverstein H, Norrell H. (Eds). Neurological surgery of the ear. 1977. Aesculapius; Birmingham:
  • 48 Harker LA, McCabe BF. Temporal bone fractures and facial nerve injury. Otolaryngol Clin N Amer 07 1974; 425-431
  • 49 Duncan NO, Coker NJ, Jenkins HA, Canalis RF. Gunshot injuries of the temporal bone. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 94 1986; 47-55
  • 50 Coker NJ, Kendall KA, Jenkins HA, Alford BR. Traumatic intratemporal facial nerve injury: Management rationale for preservation of function. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 97 1987; 262-269
  • 51 Uetsuka H. Compression of the facial nerve. Arch Otolaryngol 95 1972; 346-349
  • 52 Anjaneyulu A, Rao M, Mohandas S. Bilateral facial nerve palsy following head injury. Neurology India 41 1993; 238-239
  • 53 Prusty GK. Post-traumatic bilateral facial palsy. Neurology India 06 1991; 290-291
  • 54 Turner JWA. Facial palsy in closed head injuries. Lancet 246 1944; 756-757
  • 55 Kelly KE, Tami TA. Temporal bone and skull base trauma. In, Jackler RK, Brackmann DE. (Eds). Neurotology. 1994. Mosby; St Louis: 1127-1147
  • 56 House JW, Brackmann DE. Facial nerve grading system. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 93 1985; 146-147
  • 57 May M. Disorders in newborns and children. In, May M. (Ed): The facial nerve. 1986. Thieme Stratton; New York:
  • 58 Smith IM, Murray JAM, Cull RE, Slattery J. Facial weakness: A comparison of clinical and photographic methods of observation. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck 117 1991; 906-909
  • 59 Cohn BT, Brahms MA, Cohn M. Injury to the eleventh cranial nerve in a high school wrestler. Orth Rev 15 1986; 590-595
  • 60 Schuknecht HF. Mechanisms of inner ear injury from blows to the head. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 78 1969; 253-262
  • 61 Fee GA. Traumatic perilymphatic fistulas. Arch Otolaryngol 88 1968; 477-480
  • 62 Urculo E, Errazola M, Arrazola Jr M. et al Delayed glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve paralysis following occipital condyle fracture. J Neurosurg 84 1996; 522-525
  • 63 Orbay T, Aykol S, Seckin Z. et al Hypoglossal nerve palsy following fracture of occipital condyle. Surg Neurol 31 1989; 402-404
  • 64 Indira Devi B, Dubey S, Shetty S, Jaiswal VK, Jaikumar PN. Fracture occipital condyle with isolated 12th. Nerve paresis. Neurology India 48 2000; 93-94
  • 65 Delamont RS, Boyle RS. Traumatic hypoglossal nerve palsy. Clin Exp Neurol 26 1989; 239-241
  • 66 Kervick MM, Bredfelt RC, Sheridan CD, Monroe AD. Bilateral injury to the hypoglossal nerve. Arch Phy Med Rehab 58 1977; 578-582
  • 67 Collet FJ. Sur un nouveau syndrome paralytique pharyngolarynge par blessure de guerre. Lyon Med 124 1916; 121-129
  • 68 Hashimoto T, Watanabe O, Takase M. et al Collet-Sicard syndrome after minor head injury. Neurosurgery 23 1988; 367-370
  • 69 Sharma BS, Mahajan RK, Bhatia S, Khosla VK. Collet-Sicard syndrome after closed head injury. Clin Neurol Neurosurg 96 1994; 197-198
  • 70 Mohanty SK, Barrios M, Fishbone H. et al Irreversible injury of cranial nerves 9 through 12 (Collet Sicard syndrome). J Neurosurg 38 1973; 86-88
  • 71 Maclean JG, Taylor A. Combined lower cranial nerve injury. Complication of upper cervical or basal skull fracture. J Roy Coll Surg Edin 36 1991; 188-189