AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF INCIDENCE OF CRANIAL NERVE INJURY IN MILD HEAD INJURY

Dhandayuthapani Velayuthampillai; Muthuraman Pichaiah

Volume : VII, Issue : IX, September - 2017

AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF INCIDENCE OF CRANIAL NERVE INJURY IN MILD HEAD INJURY

Dhandayuthapani Velayuthampillai, Muthuraman Pichaiah

Abstract :

About 85% of the road traffic accidents occur in the developing countries being a major share of global burden. India accounts for about 10% of road accident fatalities worldwide. Cranial nerves injuries should be given adequate importance to avoid neurological morbidities that lead to compromise in quality of life.

AIM

The present study was undertaken to quantify magnitude of cranial nerve injury, distribution of various cranial nerve involvement and outcome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

It is a prospective analytical study; study period was from september 2013 to Feuary 2015 in the department of neurosurgery, Thanjavur medical college. Thousand consecutive patients admitted in our hospital trauma ward with mild head injury were studied.Regardless of age and sex, Patients with GCS 12 and less, pre–existing cranial nerve injuries were excluded

After initial rapid cranial nerve injures assessment and ruling out the need for emergency neurosurgical intervention, submitted for detailed clinical neurological examination. HRCT and MRI obtained to analyze nature of injuries. Patients were kept under monthly follow up to find out neurological recovery.

RESULTS

In this study the incidence of cranial nerve injuries in mild head injury is about 14.8. Road traffic accidents being the single leading cause for the cranial nerve injuries. The middle age male population has the highest predilection for head injury. Among mild head injuries–31.9% had GCS–15, 50 %had GCS–14 and 18.9%had GCS–13.In this study about 148patients out of 1000patients had cranial nerve injuries and about 26patients had multiple cranial nerve injuries which is about–2.6% of the total sample and 17.5%of patients who had cranial nerve injuries.

Conclusion

The incidence of cranial nerve injury in mild head injury is around 15%. The commonest cranial nerve involved is seventh cranial nerve, which was about 32.4 percent of cranial nerve injuries. Lower cranial nerve (Nine, ten, eleven and twelve) injuries were very rarely seen in mild head injuries. Road traffic accidents are the prime mode of injury and middle age male population were commonly injured. This study also emphasizes the value of meticulous clinical examination in head injury patients.