A simple means of demonstrating skull fractures using radiographic altered image geometry

Multiple comminuted fractures distributed around a skull and resulting from repeated weapon impacts were poorly demonstrated on conventional lateral and upper frontal radiographs. This was due to superimposition of contralateral fractures, normal anatomy and tangential projection angles. Simple modification of a standard dental x-ray generator and manipulation of projection geometry allowed isolation of individual fractures with improved image quality. The above technique lends itself to cases in which soft tissue remains to obscure the detail of multiple fractures during clinical observation.