Traumatic bilateral abducent nerve palsies

A patient sustained a severe cranio-facial injury which included a transverse fracture of the middle cranial fossa through the sella turcica producing otorrhoea, rhinorrhoea, a bilateral abducents palsy and a large aero-coele. All gradually remitted spontaneously. The management of this patient and the patterns of cranial base fractures and their associated clinical features, particularly of the middle cranial fossa, are discussed.