Which finding is periorbital bruising associated with skull base fracture?

• A. Raccoon Eyes
• B. Battle Sign
• C. Basilar Skull Fracture
• D. Cerebral Edema

Answer: (A)

Raccoon eyes are periorbital ecchymosis that develops when blood from a skull base fracture tracks into the soft tissues around the eyes. This sign is classic for basilar skull injury, typically involving the anterior cranial fossa near the orbital roof, and it can appear soon after the trauma. Seeing this bruising should raise suspicion for a skull base fracture and prompt careful assessment for other basilar signs and possible intracranial injury.

Battle sign, bruise behind the ear, is another basilar skull fracture clue but not periorbital. Basilar Skull Fracture describes the fracture itself rather than a visible soft-tissue bruise, and Cerebral Edema is brain swelling, not a facial bruise or a direct sign of skull base fracture.