[Accident surgery of the base of the skull and neighboring pneumatic spaces. ENT standpoint (author's transl)].

68% of all head injuries are due to traffic accidents which lead to fatal injuries of the base of the skull in 40% (70% in motorcycle accidents). Two thirds of the deaths in traffic accidents occur as a result of a frontobasal and laterobasal skull fractures with involvement of the pneumatic spaces. ENT requires that every head injury, particularly those involving base of the skull fractures, be promptly presented to an otorhinologic surgeon, and, if necessary, actively treated extracranially as comprehensively as possible. Cooperation of all specialties is particularly important because only such a team can draw up an optimal plan of therapy.