Open depressed skull fracture missed on computed tomography: a case report

A case of an open depressed skull fracture that was missed on standard computed tomographic (CT) scan is presented. The fracture was seen on a CT generated lateral scout film, and after repositioning the gantry, further CT images clearly showed the fracture and underlying brain injury. The authors recommend that all patients with head trauma undergoing head CT have either a CT generated lateral scout film or a lateral skull radiograph to assess the vertex of the skull, an area poorly visualized on standard axial images.