[Growing skull fracture with rapid growth: a case report]

A case of growing skull fracture with rapid growth is presented. A 4-month-old male fell and struck the right side of his head. Skull X-ray just after injury showed a right parietotemporal linear skull fracture with the maximum width of 4 mm. The width of the fracture line increased to 9 mm 7 hours after injury. Serial CT scan demonstrated growth of contusional hematoma just beneath of the fracture. Six days later, a pulsatile mass was palpated beneath the scalp, although neurological state was normal. The width of the fracture line was demonstrated to increase up to 11 mm on X-ray at that time. CT scan revealed subgaleal cerebral herniation surrounded by brain edema. He was operated 11 days after injury. It is thought that the contusional hematoma and following brain edema played an important role in the genesis of rapid growth of the skull fracture.