Cranial nerve damage after paediatric head trauma: a long-term follow-up study of 741 cases.

A report is given on transient and permanent (6 months) impairment of cranial nerves after paediatric head injuries (N: 741). There is a link between severity of the injury, fractures on the base of the skull, its foramina and channels, and the frequency of cranial nerve involvement. One should try to establish whether a posttraumatic dysfunction of the cranial nerves is primary or secondary in nature, i.e. due to raised intracranial pressure or haemorrhage. In children after head injuries often the cranial nerves of the oculomotor system are affected (20.2%/7.0%)--transient (permanent), followed by optic atrophy (4.88%), lesion of the trigeminal nerve (4.2%/2.2%), and the facial nerve lower motor type (4.1%/1.7%). Loss of hearing (3.3%/1.2%) and of smell (3.2%/1.2%) are less frequent in children than in adults.