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Basilar Skull and Temporal Bone Fractures

A basilar skull fracture is a fracture through the bone at the base of the brain. A temporal bone fracture is a fracture of the part of the skull that houses the middle ear, inner ear, and facial nerve.

Diagnosis for Basilar Skull and Temporal Bone Fractures

Diagnosis of a temporal bone fracture is suspected if there has been severe trauma to the head and the person has the common symptoms associated with a temporal bone fracture: hearing loss, facial paralysis, and/or spinal fluid drainage from the ear.  Upon inspection of the ear, the medical practitioner will often see blood behind the ear drum.  The diagnosis can be confirmed with a CT scan of the head.