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Unusual penetrating cranio-cerebral injuries in children from mains plugs

Arul Kanagarajan1, Spyros Sgouros

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH, UK.

Child'S Nervous System : Chns : Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery
|May 9, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Domestic accidents can cause severe head injuries in children. This study highlights rare cases of penetrating skull fractures from electric mains plugs, emphasizing the need for awareness in childhood trauma cases.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Trauma Surgery
  • Child Safety

Background:

  • Domestic accidents are a common cause of pediatric head injuries.
  • Penetrating skull injuries in children are infrequent but can result from unusual objects.

Observation:

  • Two young boys sustained penetrating wounds and compound depressed skull fractures after falling onto electric mains plugs.
  • Radiographs and CT scans revealed complete skull perforation and brain parenchyma involvement in both cases.

Findings:

  • Surgical removal of the plugs and repair of skull fractures were performed successfully.
  • Despite the severity, neither child experienced loss of consciousness or developed epilepsy.

Implications:

  • This uncommon injury mechanism involving electric mains plugs requires heightened awareness among caregivers and medical professionals.
  • Hidden intracranial injuries can be present even with seemingly minor scalp wounds, necessitating thorough evaluation in pediatric head trauma.
Abstract

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