Early Diagnosis of Hidden Hearing Loss Following Temporal Bone Fractures

Temporal bone fracture accounts for 30-70% of skull fractures. Temporal bone trauma is associated with severe traumatic brain injury^. Temporal bone fractures are invariably due to road traffic accidents (RTA). Temporal bone fractures are traditionally classified as transverse, longitudinal or mixed fractures depending on their relationship to the petrous pyramid. Recent studies classify temporal bone fractures as otic capsule sparing (OCS) and otic capsule violating (OCV) types and has more relevance with the prognosis of hearing loss and complications. To study of type and degree of hearing loss following temporal bone fractures according to the old and new classification of temporal bone fractures. The prospective study of 35 cases of head injuries attending emergency department was conducted in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, SNMC and H.S.K. Hospital & Research centre, Bagalkot during the study period from January 2019 to June 2020. High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) of bilateral temporal bone was done to look for type of temporal bone fractures. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) to assess degree and type of hearing loss. Appropriate statistical analysis at the end of study was done. Most patients were in age group of 21-40 years. Among 35 cases, 30 were longitudinal fractures, 4 were transverse and 1 was mixed.27 cases were OCS and 8 of OCV type.OCV type of fractures are having higher degree of hearing loss. Longitudinal type of temporal bone fractures constitutes majority. Hearing loss was more in OCV type.