An analysis of temporal bone injuries operated on in our hospital is reported . Twenty-one cases with traumatized middle and inner ears were operated on at the Division of Otolaryngology , Mitsui Memorial Hospital from January 1993 to September 2006 . Causes of the trauma were self-inflicted injury (28%) and assault (24%). Sixteen cases (76%) of the patients had disruption of the tympanic membrane without ossicular damage. Ten percent of the patients had inner ear damage and 14% had disruption

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... f the tympanic membrane with ossicular damage . The frequent cause of tympanic membrane disruption was assault (32%) . The mean period from the trauma to the operation was 5 months.