[Growing fracture of the orbital roof. A case report]

We report a case of growing fracture of the orbital roof in a 5-year-old child. The presenting sign was a pulsatile orbital mass. This child had a history of a minor head injury with orbital impact 2 years ago. Cerebral CT scan revealed a diastatic fracture of the right orbital roof. On MRI a leptomeningeal cyst extending in the orbital cavity was shown. Frontal craniotomy with direct repair of the dural and bone defects was performed. The outcome was excellent. In the literature the exact pathophysiology of the growing fractures is still debated but a dural laceration along the fracture line is noted in all the cases. They are mostly located in the cranial convexity, and rarely affect the skull base. Only 5 similar cases were found in the relevant literature. Growing fracture of the orbital roof should be suspected if ocular symptoms appears in childs who have sustained a head injury several months or years ago.