Objective: Only a handful of case reports exist describing posttraumatic sutural diastasis in the calvarium and none report concurrent temporal bone involvement. We aim to describe diastasis along the temporal bone suture lines in the setting of temporal bone trauma and to identify clinical sequelae.
Study design: Retrospective case review.
Setting: Tertiary Level 1 trauma center.
Patients: Forty-four patients aged 18 and younger who suffered a temporal bone fracture from 2013 to 2018 were identified. Diastasis and diastasis with displacement at the occipitomastoid, lambdoid, sphenosquamosal and petro-occipital sutures, and synchondroses were determined.
Main outcome measures: The presence of temporal bone suture and synchondrosal diastasis following temporal bone trauma. Diastasis was defined as sutural separation of a distance greater than 1 mm in comparison to the contralateral side.
Results: Using our diastasis diagnostic criteria, diastasis occurred in 41.5% of temporal bone fractures. Transverse fracture types were significantly associated with diastasis (p ≤ 0.001). Lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and loss of consciousness (LOC) were associated with the presence of diastasis with displacement and diastasis (p = 0.034 and p = 0.042, respectively). Otic capsule violation was more common in fractures with diastasis but did not reach statistical significance. There were two cases of cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea and three deaths in cases that featured diastasis.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that diastasis is a positive predictor for higher disruptive force injuries and more severe outcomes and complications. Posttraumatic temporal bone suture diastasis may represent a separate clinico-pathologic entity in addition to the usual temporal bone fracture classification types.