CSF may leak through the cribriform plate after a head injury and cause which of the following?

The correct answer is nasal CSF rhinorrhea. After a head injury, particularly if there is a fracture of the cribriform plate, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can leak through the nasal passages. This occurs because the cribriform plate sits at the base of the skull and separates the brain from the nasal cavity. When there is a rupture or tear in this bone, it creates a pathway for CSF to flow out of the brain and into the nose, resulting in a clear fluid leakage from the nostrils, which is characteristic of rhinorrhea.

In contrast, the other options present scenarios that are less likely or anatomically implausible based on where CSF leaks typically occur. For instance, otorrhea refers specifically to drainage from the ear, which would not result from a cribriform plate injury. Leakage from the eye and mouth also does not typically occur in the context of a fracture at the cribriform plate, as those pathways are not directly connected to the cranial cavity in the same way the nasal passages are. Therefore, nasal CSF rhinorrhea is the most relevant and accurate consequence of a CSF leak associated with this type of head injury.