Trigeminal Nerve Injury Following Accidental Airbag Deployment and Assessment with Quantitative Sensory Testing (Case Report)

This article reviews the problem of trigeminal nerve injury following airbag deployment, including accidental deployment. Accidental deployment of airbags and the associated release of hot gases can result in both thermal and mechanical injuries, including facial injuries. The more commonly reported maxillofacial injuries include temporomandibular joint fractures and dislocations, dental trauma, facial nerve paralysis, and other orofacial pain complaints. The authors present a case report of a patient with facial trauma from the accidental deployment of an airbag resulting in complaints consistent with a neurological injury; quantitative sensory testing was used to confirm the diagnosis. In this case, a 43-year-old female was injured with first and second degree burns on her face after airbags in her car spontaneously deployed while she was sitting in her parked car. After two weeks, the burns began to heal, but the patient was left with a numb and tingling sensation that extended from the left side of her mouth to the midline of the lip and chin (consistent with the distribution of the nerve). The numbness worsened over the following two months. The authors report their diagnostic and treatment approach to this patient. Sensory testing one year after the accident supported the patient's assertion that she had experienced no improvement since the accident; the authors conclude that the nerve damage is permanent.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08869634
• Authors:
  • Kalladka, Mythili
  • Viswanath, Archana
  • Gomes, Julyana
  • Eliav, Eli
  • Pertes, Richard
  • Heir, Gary
• Publication Date: 2007-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 138-143
• Serial:
  • Cranio: Journal of Craniomandibular Practice
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Chroma, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0886-9634

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air bags; Burns (Injuries); Case studies; Diagnosis; Face; Injuries; Nerves
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I84: Personal Injuries; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01083005
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 21 2007 7:57AM