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Growing skull fractures
1Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Insights
Growing skull fractures, a rare complication of head injury in young children, require prompt surgical treatment. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for preventing further brain damage and achieving excellent outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Background:
- Growing skull fractures are rare, occurring in 0.05%-0.6% of infants and children under three following severe closed head injury.
- These fractures often present as a bulging mass and underlying skull defect approximately two months post-trauma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report on two pediatric cases of growing skull fractures treated at our institution.
- To emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and surgical intervention for favorable outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Review of two pediatric cases diagnosed with growing skull fractures.
- Surgical treatment and follow-up assessment of patient outcomes.
Main Results:
- Both patients presented with characteristic symptoms two months after head injury.
- Surgical intervention led to excellent results in both cases.
Conclusions:
- Growing skull fractures necessitate vigilant follow-up in at-risk pediatric populations.
- Timely surgical management is essential to avert progressive neurological damage.
Abstract:
Growing skull fractures are rare complications of severe closed head injury occurring almost exclusively in infants and children under the age of three. The reported incidence is between 0.05% and 0.6%. Two such cases were treated at our institution. Both cases presented with bulging mass and underlying skull defect two months after head injury. They received surgical treatment and achieved excellent results. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention are essential for these patients to prevent progressive brain damage. Therefore, close follow-up for patients at risk of developing growing skull fracture is necessary.