[Trauma of the temporal bone]

Temporal bone fractures are mostly due to high-energy head trauma with high rates of concurrent intracranial and cervical spine injuries and belong to the wider spectrum of lateral skull base trauma. Given that the temporal bone represents the most complex bone structure in the human body, containing a multitude of vital neurovascular structures, variable clinical presentations may arise from such fractures, ranging from asymptomatic courses to serious consequences, such as conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss, vascular and/or cranial nerve injury as well as cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The present paper presents typical clinical sequelae and provides a detailed illustration of characteristic imaging findings related to temporal bone injury. Last but not least, in the final section of the manuscript the focus is placed on distinct anatomic structures which may mimic fracture lines and, thus, entail a high potential for misclassification as temporal bone fractures.