Golf club related basal skull fracture: a case study

Basal skull fractures, although rare, do occur and a high index of suspicion for high velocity injuries, should be at the forefront of the clinicians mind, particularly those from a golf club. Head injury in children is a common presentation to any Paediatric Emergency Department. With effective examination skills, recognition of signs of basal skull fracture such as haemotympanum, even in the absence of altered neurological findings, ensures safe and effective practice enabling correct and justifiable clinical decisions to be made. This is vital to ensure not only the correct investigative procedure is requested and performed, but also on discussion with the appropriate specialists, the correct treatment is also prescribed. This case study examines the use of computed tomography in the diagnosis of basal skull fractures and highlights further discussion into the appropriate treatment of children diagnosed with basal skull fractures.