Question:
The image shows bluish-purple discolouration behind the mastoid. Identify the sign.
The image shows bluish-purple discolouration behind the mastoid. Identify the sign.
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Mastoid ecchymosis after head injury has a single eponymous name suggesting a base-of-skull fracture.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Battle sign
- Bezold abscess
- Both A and B
- None of these
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Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Bruising (ecchymosis) over the mastoid process behind the ear is the Battle sign.
Step 2: It is retroauricular or mastoid ecchymosis that typically follows head trauma and is a clinical marker of a basal skull fracture (middle cranial fossa or petrous temporal bone).
Step 3: A Bezold abscess is a different entity, a deep neck abscess in the sternocleidomastoid region from mastoiditis eroding the mastoid tip, presenting as a tender neck swelling, not as retroauricular bruising. So the picture is Battle sign only, option A. Ref: StatPearls, Battle sign.
Step 2: It is retroauricular or mastoid ecchymosis that typically follows head trauma and is a clinical marker of a basal skull fracture (middle cranial fossa or petrous temporal bone).
Step 3: A Bezold abscess is a different entity, a deep neck abscess in the sternocleidomastoid region from mastoiditis eroding the mastoid tip, presenting as a tender neck swelling, not as retroauricular bruising. So the picture is Battle sign only, option A. Ref: StatPearls, Battle sign.
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