Skull Fracture Treatment

The skull is a bony structure that encloses the brain. It contains the small frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, sphenoid and ethmoid bones. This bony framework supports the structures in the head and prevents damage to the brain in event of injuries. Though the skull is quite strong, the bones in the skull may sometimes break if subjected to blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is significant, it could also result in brain damage. While a small crack in the skull might heal on its own, a severe head injury that causes a severe skull fracture could have serious repercussions. At times, the bones might break and get displaced due to traumatic head injuries. Meninges, which are the layers of tissue that surround the human brain could rupture. As a result, blood could accumulate in the epidural, subdural or subarachnoid spaces within the brain. If left untreated, these could lead to life-threatening situations. Here's some information about the types of skull fracture along with skull fracture treatment.

Symptoms of Skull Fracture

The classification of the different types of bone fractures is done on the basis of the extent and location of the damage to the bone. Skull fractures are categorized into simple, linear, depressed, basilar and compound skull fractures. In case of a simple skull bone fracture, there is just a small break in the cranial bone without any skin damage. A linear skull fracture is one of the common types of skull fractures. It is manifested by a break in a cranial bone that resembles a thin line. When the break in the bone occurs at the base of the skull, the fracture is referred to as a basilar skull fracture. This type of fracture generally involves fracture of temporal, occipital, sphenoid or the ethmoid bone. These could cause the meninges to tear and this could increase the risk of meningitis. Depressed skull fracture, as the name suggests are fractures wherein the impact of the injury causes a depression in the skull. If the fragments of the bone bend in towards the brain, the brain is likely to get damaged. If left untreated, one could even suffer from an infection in the brain.

At times, severe injuries could even cause severe damage to the skin along with splintering of the bone. Sometimes, the skull bone might break into various fragments. If the fragments get dislodged and penetrate the outermost layer of the brain, surgery might be required for aligning or removing the fragments. The symptoms of a skull fracture will vary, depending on the severity of brain injury. The most common symptoms of skull fracture include bump on the head, intracranial hematoma, bleeding from the wound, bruising behind ears or under the eyes, swelling, visual problems, headache, convulsion, disorientation, bleeding from ears or nose, difficulty in balancing, changes in pupils or loss of consciousness. If medical treatment is delayed, a person with a severe head injury could even slip into a coma, or even die. It is, therefore, essential that such a person be medically examined and treated soon.

Treatment of Skull Fracture

The treatment options will vary depending on the location of the injury and the extent of damage. Besides physical examination, doctors might conduct certain imaging procedures such as CT scan or MRI, in order to formulate a diagnosis. If the tests don't show any signs of brain damage, treatment involves attending to the external wound. Blood will be drained and after the wound has been cleaned, dressing will be applied. Doctors will also prescribe certain drugs depending on the symptoms exhibited by the patient. Antibiotics might be prescribed for minimizing the risk of infections. Minor head injuries resulting in simple or a linear skull fracture will not really require extensive treatment, and the crack will heal on its own. Certain fractures, however, can cause brain damage and an elaborate treatment will be required. For instance, basilar skull fracture might cause the outermost membrane of the brain to tear. As a result, cerebrospinal fluid could leak out. It might leak through nose, or ears, or might get accumulated under the skin surrounding the eyes. So, treatment of a basilar skull fracture will involve drainage of the fluid.

Occipital skull fracture is said to occur when the saucer-shaped bone at the base of the skull gets fractured. Since this can cause serious complications, doctors generally recommend surgery for the treatment of occipital skull fracture. In case of infants, a head injury might cause the membranes that surround the brain to protrude. As a result, cerebrospinal fluid might accumulate and lead to the formation of a leptomeningeal cyst. This is referred to as growing fracture. Since a cyst can put pressure on the infant's brain or cause infection, the treatment will generally involve drainage of such cysts. Surgery is a popular choice when it comes to severe brain injuries. Severe depressed skull fractures result in dented appearance of the skull bones. Under such circumstances, treatment may involve elevating the bones and aligning them through surgery. While small cracks might heal on their own, severe fractures will require removal of damaged tissues, drainage of blood and alignment of skull fragments.

Since skull fractures could cause brain damage, these must be taken seriously. If anyone suffers from head injury, seek medical help immediately. A timely treatment will ensure a speedy recovery.