The following electronic only articles are published in conjunction with this issue of BJSM

An uncommonly serious case of an uncommon sport injury

A Abedin, H-C Chen

Background: A 55 year old man sustained a severe ocular injury when hit by a cricket ball even though he was wearing a helmet.

Methods: A suprachoroidal haemorrhage was drained and dense intravitreal blood was removed. An inferior buckle was applied with the use of intraocular gas. A macular haemorrhage resolved slowly.

Results: Despite several surgical procedures over 1.5 years, the final visual acuity of the patient was only 6/60 because of a dense macular scar.

Conclusions: Helmets worn as protection when playing cricket need to be designed better and be of better material. Eye protection should be worn at all levels of play.

(Br J Sports Med 2005;39:e33) http://bjsm.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/39/8/e33

Isolated oculomotor nerve palsy from minor head trauma

C-C Chen, Y-M Pai, R-F Wang, et al

Isolated third cranial nerve palsies in head trauma patients can be the result of direct or indirect damage to the oculomotor nerve. They are usually associated with severe head trauma. We reported a case of isolated oculomotor nerve palsy associated with minor head injury. No initial loss of consciousness was recalled. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the brain were normal. Previous reports in the literature were reviewed and the possible mechanism of injury was discussed. Head injuries are commonly seen in sports settings. Our case illustrated that even minor head trauma can cause isolated oculomotor nerve palsy in the absence of abnormal brain imaging findings.

(Br J Sports Med 2005;39:e34) http://bjsm.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/39/8/e34