Concomitant abducens and facial nerve palsies following bone temporal fracture: Case report

Lesions of the nervus abducens, the 6th cranial nerve tend to be rare, usually occur suddenly following head injuries. The existence of the association of several lesions of the cranial pairs in spite of their rarity must lead the clinician to establish a complete lesion assessment before any cranial trauma.

We describe an illustrative case of sixth nerve palsy associated to facial nerve palsy following a motor vehicle accident. A 36-year-old man had temporal bone fracture after a motor vehicle accident and developed horizontal diplopia and left-sided facial droop, Cranial tomography demonstrated left translabyrinthique bone temporal fracture and fracture of the petrous apex.

The petrous apex is an anatomical area rich in vascular and nervous elements. Any damage to this area, whether inflammatory, tumoral or traumatic, as described in this manuscript, can have an irreversible effect if a rapid diagnosis and management is not established.

we report our experience with head trauma with exceptional manifestations, for a better knowledge of these affections, studies with a large number of patients are necessary.