The skull base, located at the bottom of the cranial cavity, provides structural support for the brain and serves as the primary boundary between the intracranial and extracranial spaces. Any fracture that affects the base of the cranial cavity, resulting from either direct local impact or distal force mechanisms, is termed a skull base fracture. Non-enhanced computed tomography (NECT) is the main imaging method used to initially assess patients suspected of skull base trauma. Obtaining a thorough understanding of the skull base necessitates high-resolution axial imaging, which should be supplemented with coronal and sagittal reconstructions for a comprehensive assessment.

AIM OF THE WORK:
The aim of this work was to evaluate the role of multidetector computed tomography scanning in the assessment of traumatic skull base fractures.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
This cross-sectional prospective study involved twenty- five patients with positive findings of a skull base fracture on head multidetector computed tomography following an acute head trauma exposure admitted at Alexandria university Main Hospital's Emergency Departmentfrom January to August 2023. All CT studies were performed using a 64-slice multidetector helical computed tomography machine. A non-contrast brain CT scan was performed in a helical mode of acquisition, with a 1 mm slice thickness, a spacing between slices of 1.5 mm, and a scan angle parallel to the skull base.