• The skull vault is comparatively thinner than the base of the skull. (medscape.com)
  • Basilar fractures are in the bones at the base of the skull. (wikipedia.org)
  • Basilar (BAZ-uh-ler) skull fractures, the most severe type, involve breaks in the bones near the base of the skull, including the ones around the ears, eyes, and nasal cavity. (childrensmn.org)
  • Some fractures, especially those at the back and bottom (base) of the skull, tear the meninges, the layers of tissue that cover the brain. (msdmanuals.com)
  • The base of the skull was the most common location of the fracture (62.3% in 2010 and 55.0% in 2011). (cdc.gov)
  • It is characterized by a break in one of the bones near the base of the skull. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • Because Little Foot had a foramen magnum just like us, fitted into the base of the skull and not the back of the skull like other primates. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • A skull fracture is a break in the skull bone and generally occurs as a result of direct impact. (medscape.com)
  • The skull vault is composed of cancellous bone, the diploe, which is sandwiched between the inner and outer tables and consists of the lamina externa (1.5 mm) and the lamina interna (0.5 mm). (medscape.com)
  • Linear fractures, the most common skull fractures, involve a break in the bone but no displacement, and generally no intervention is required. (medscape.com)
  • Lateral skull radiograph in a child shows a long, linear fracture extending from the midline in the occipital region across the occipital bone into the temporal bone. (medscape.com)
  • A simple fracture is a break in the bone without damage to the skin. (medlineplus.gov)
  • A linear skull fracture is a break in a cranial bone resembling a thin line, without splintering, depression, or distortion of bone. (medlineplus.gov)
  • A depressed skull fracture is a break in a cranial bone (or "crushed" portion of skull) with depression of the bone in toward the brain. (medlineplus.gov)
  • A compound fracture involves a break in, or loss of, skin and splintering of the bone. (medlineplus.gov)
  • If the force of the impact is excessive, the bone may fracture at or near the site of the impact and cause damage to the underlying structures within the skull such as the membranes, blood vessels, and brain. (wikipedia.org)
  • While an uncomplicated skull fracture can occur without associated physical or neurological damage and is in itself usually not clinically significant, a fracture in healthy bone indicates that a substantial amount of force has been applied and increases the possibility of associated injury. (wikipedia.org)
  • Depressed fractures are usually comminuted, with broken portions of bone displaced inward-and may require surgical intervention to repair underlying tissue damage. (wikipedia.org)
  • Linear skull fractures are breaks in the bone that transverse the full thickness of the skull from the outer to inner table. (wikipedia.org)
  • In young children, although rare, the possibility exists of developing a growing skull fracture especially if the fracture occurs in the parietal bone. (wikipedia.org)
  • A growing skull fracture (GSF) also known as a craniocerebral erosion or leptomeningeal cyst due to the usual development of a cystic mass filled with cerebrospinal fluid is a rare complication of head injury usually associated with linear skull fractures of the parietal bone in children under 3. (wikipedia.org)
  • A transverse temporal bone fracture is shown in the image below. (medscape.com)
  • Most surgeons prefer to elevate depressed skull fractures if the depressed segment is more than 5 mm below the inner table of adjacent bone. (medscape.com)
  • When the OP notes does not mention any specific external cause factor along with Nasal bone fracture can we bill S02.2xxa and X58.XXXA together? (aapc.com)
  • The progress note states "there is a slightly depressed nasal bone o. (aapc.com)
  • Fractures of the skull, as with fractures of any bone, occur when biomechanical stresses exceed the bone's tolerance. (radiopaedia.org)
  • It is essential that a bone algorithm is used if undisplaced fractures are to be visualized. (radiopaedia.org)
  • Fractures will appear as discontinuities in the bone and may or may not be displaced. (radiopaedia.org)
  • This is a flat bone located in the very back of your skull. (healthline.com)
  • A fracture refers to any type of break in a bone. (healthline.com)
  • A linear fracture in a cranial bone means there's a break in the bone, but the bone itself hasn't moved. (healthline.com)
  • This type involves a break in one of the bones near the base of your skull, such as the sphenoid bone. (healthline.com)
  • Common symptoms include a sloped forehead, extra bone within skull sutures, and an enlarged skull. (healthline.com)
  • People with this condition are more prone to fractures because the affected bone is usually weaker. (healthline.com)
  • With linear skull fractures, which are the most common, there is a break in the bone but the bone doesn't move. (childrensmn.org)
  • With depressed skull fractures, part of the bone breaks and is pushed inward toward the brain. (childrensmn.org)
  • Depressed skull fractures are sometimes treated with surgery to repair the damaged part of the bone and prevent further injury to the brain. (childrensmn.org)
  • In a penetrating skull fracture, bone fragments enter brain tissue. (encyclopedia.com)
  • A skull fracture occurs when the bone of the skull cracks or breaks. (oshmanlaw.com)
  • The most common skull fracture, linear fractures break but do not shift the bone. (hofeldandschaffner.com)
  • The most severe fracture, basilar skull fractures damage the bone at the bottom of the skull. (hofeldandschaffner.com)
  • A skull fracture is a break in a bone surrounding the brain. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Sometimes, pieces of the fractured skull bone press inward and damage the brain. (msdmanuals.com)
  • The most common type of work-related skull fracture was a depressed (broken bone pushed inward) skull fracture (64.0% in 2010 and 54.2% in 2011). (cdc.gov)
  • Simple fracture: bone is broken but surrounding skin is unharmed. (meshbesher.com)
  • Linear fracture: break in the bone but no splintering or distortion of the bone. (meshbesher.com)
  • Depressed fracture: bone is pushed in toward the brain. (meshbesher.com)
  • Compound fracture: skin is punctured, cranial bone is splintered. (meshbesher.com)
  • Some of these problems result from a direct impact to a particular portion of the skull or brain: a skull fracture occurs when the bone of the skull cracks or breaks, and in a depressed skull fracture pieces of broken skull press into the brain. (brainfoundation.org.au)
  • The skull supports and protects the head's soft tissues, with the mandible as the only bone that separates from other parts of the skull. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • A break in the skull bone is noted but the bone has not moved. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • Basilar skull fractures are linear fractures that occur in the floor of the cranial vault (skull base), which require more force to cause than other areas of the neurocranium. (wikipedia.org)
  • Children with basilar skull fractures require extra care because more problems - such as hearing loss, decreased sense of smell, and facial weakness - can follow a fracture. (childrensmn.org)
  • Individuals with basilar fractures may have eye and ear bruising. (hofeldandschaffner.com)
  • The external ear canals are examined for the presence of blood or CSF which may indicate the presence of basilar skull fractures. (vin.com)
  • Infants and children with open depressed fractures require surgical intervention. (medscape.com)
  • In contrast, depressed fractures will often require surgical intervention for cosmesis and reduction in the incidence of post-traumatic epilepsy 1 . (radiopaedia.org)
  • But more serious fractures will definitely require surgical intervention. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • When a diastatic fracture occurs in adults it usually affects the lambdoidal suture as this suture does not fully fuse in adults until about the age of 60. (wikipedia.org)
  • Due to the trauma, diastatic fracture occurs with the collapse of the surrounding head bones. (wikipedia.org)
  • A diastatic fracture occurs along one of the sutures of your skull, making it wider than usual. (healthline.com)
  • Cerebrospinal fluid leak occurs in 10-30% of skull base fractures and most often presents with rhinorrhea (80% of cases) in the setting of frontobasal fracture. (medscape.com)
  • This type of open head injury occurs if the object penetrates the skull and impairs the brain. (odglawgroup.com)
  • A depressed skull fracture occurs when fragments of the broken skull sink down from the skull surface and press against the surface of the brain. (encyclopedia.com)
  • A closed head injury occurs when an object does not break through the skull. (oshmanlaw.com)
  • A penetrating head injury occurs when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue. (oshmanlaw.com)
  • A depressed skull fracture occurs when pieces of the broken skull press into the tissue of the brain. (oshmanlaw.com)
  • Test results have shown that 10 times more force is required to fracture a cadaveric skull with overlaying scalp than the one without. (medscape.com)
  • One of the victims had a depressed skull fracture and intracranial bleeding, while the second victim suffered a laceration on his scalp that required staples and a linear skull fracture. (justice.gov)
  • A helmet is] certainly offering protection to the outer part of the head, scalp, the skull and to some degree the brain as well. (smh.com.au)
  • By definition, TBI requires that there be a head injury, or any physical assault to the head leading to injury of the scalp, skull, or brain. (encyclopedia.com)
  • The toddler had abrasions, contusions and lacerations to the scalp, a depressed skull fracture and a fractured left forearm," the press release stated. (lawandcrime.com)
  • Adults with simple linear fractures who are neurologically intact do not require any intervention and may even be discharged home safely and asked to return if symptomatic. (medscape.com)
  • Infants with simple linear fractures should be admitted for overnight observation regardless of neurological status. (medscape.com)
  • Much of the time, skull fractures are simple linear fractures that don't need treatment. (childrensmn.org)
  • Skull fractures may occur with no associated neurologic damage, and conversely, fatal injury to membranes, blood vessels, and brain may occur without overlying fracture. (medscape.com)
  • When the skull cracks or breaks, the resulting skull fracture can cause a contusion, or an area of bruising of brain tissue associated with swelling and blood leaking from broken blood vessels. (encyclopedia.com)
  • While most childhood head injuries are external or superficial in nature, internal head injuries (those that may involve the blood vessels, skull or brain and result in bleeding or bruising of the brain) are still a very real risk. (meshbesher.com)
  • Others problems result from indirect mechanisms - the stretching and tearing of blood vessels or white matter fibres, the "bouncing" of the brain against the inside of the skull, or the secondary swelling of the brain due to injury-related chemical changes. (brainfoundation.org.au)
  • A fracture in conjunction with an overlying laceration that tears the epidermis and the meninges, or runs through the paranasal sinuses and the middle ear structures, bringing the outside environment into contact with the cranial cavity is called a compound fracture. (wikipedia.org)
  • Compound fractures can either be clean or contaminated. (wikipedia.org)
  • citation needed] Compound depressed skull fractures occur when there is a laceration over the fracture, putting the internal cranial cavity in contact with the outside environment, increasing the risk of contamination and infection. (wikipedia.org)
  • Open (compound) fracture will usually require debridement to reduce the risk of subsequent infection 1 . (radiopaedia.org)
  • Either of these types of skull fracture can cause bruising of the brain tissue, called a contusion. (encyclopedia.com)
  • A depressed skull fracture is a type of fracture usually resulting from blunt force trauma, such as getting struck with a hammer, rock or getting kicked in the head. (wikipedia.org)
  • While this type of fracture is usually seen in infants and young children as the sutures are not yet fused it can also occur in adults. (wikipedia.org)
  • This type of fracture makes the part of the skull look sunken. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • Such a type of fracture requires immediate medical attention. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • A contusion can also occur in response to shaking of the brain within the confines of the skull, an injury called "countrecoup. (oshmanlaw.com)
  • Some infants are born with a condition called craniosynostosis , which involves the premature closing of skull sutures. (healthline.com)
  • In infants who have a skull fracture, the meninges surrounding the brain occasionally protrude through and become trapped by the fracture, forming a fluid-filled sac called a growing fracture or leptomeningeal cyst. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Diastatic fractures widen the sutures of the skull and usually affect children under three. (wikipedia.org)
  • Diastatic fractures occur when the fracture line transverses one or more sutures of the skull causing a widening of the suture. (wikipedia.org)
  • The fracture takes place along one of the sutures of the skull. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • Anyone who has spent an hour picking skull fragments out of the contused frontal lobes of a teenage rugby player is entitled to an opinion on the safety of youth rugby. (bmj.com)
  • Because of the location of these prominences and the position of the brain within the skull, the frontal lobes (behind the forehead) and temporal lobes (underlying the temples) are most susceptible to this type of diffuse damage. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Donavan La Bella suffers from a depressed skull fracture in his frontal lobe, which impairs his ability to control his impulses and reduces his cog-nitive functioning. (columbialawreview.org)
  • A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the eight bones that form the cranial portion of the skull, usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. (wikipedia.org)
  • With a depressed fracture, the force of the accident depresses a portion of the skull. (hofeldandschaffner.com)
  • Depressed skull fractures may require surgery to lift the bones off the brain if they are pressing on it by making burr holes on the adjacent normal skull. (wikipedia.org)
  • The role of surgery is limited in the management of skull fractures. (medscape.com)
  • QUOTE="thomas7331, post: 506776, member: 5404"] After the surgery you'll need to use the subsequent care code for the fracture instead of the active care code. (aapc.com)
  • Please help, I need help in coding the surgery for the fracture repair. (aapc.com)
  • In many cases, skull fractures aren't as painful as they sound, and they often heal on their own without surgery. (healthline.com)
  • However, more severe fractures may require surgery. (healthline.com)
  • These fellowships include pediatric neurosurgery , trauma/neurocritical care, functional and stereotactic surgery, surgical neuro- oncology , radiosurgery, neurovascular surgery, skull-base surgery, peripheral nerve and complex spinal surgery. (wikipedia.org)
  • When she reached the road, a couple saw her and the man ran to phone for an ambulance, and she was taken to Leeds Infirmary for emergency surgery, including relieving pressure on her brain from a depressed fracture of her skull. (execulink.com)
  • La Bella spent the next several weeks in and out of the hos-pital, undergoing facial reconstruction surgery to repair the crack in his skull. (columbialawreview.org)
  • This patient has had 3 rhinoplasty's and now the doctor wants to fix the nasal fracture. (aapc.com)
  • Hello there, I have a patient with closed nasal fracture. (aapc.com)
  • For her new patient visit, the correct diagnosis would be S02.200A (fracture of nasal bones initi. (aapc.com)
  • There were at least another 19 nasal fractures in 2010 and 22 in 2011 that were not included in the data analysis in this report. (cdc.gov)
  • Inclusion of these nasal fractures raises the total number of skull fractures in Michigan to 133 in 2010 and 142 in 2011. (cdc.gov)
  • Skull fractures may occur with head injuries . (medlineplus.gov)
  • citation needed] Diastatic fractures can occur with different types of fractures and it is also possible for diastasis of the cranial sutures to occur without a concomitant fracture. (wikipedia.org)
  • For example, coup-contrecoup injury may occur in a rear-end collision, with high speed stops, or with violent shaking of a baby, because the brain and skull are of different densities, and therefore travel at different speeds. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Skull fractures can occur with or without brain damage. (msdmanuals.com)
  • In complex depressed fractures, the dura mater is torn. (wikipedia.org)
  • Epidural hematoma: Blood clots that form inside the skull but outside the dura and brain are usually caused by a torn artery. (autoaccident.com)
  • Linear fractures are the most common, and usually require no intervention for the fracture itself. (wikipedia.org)
  • Linear fracture is the most common type which appears as cracks or breaks in the skull. (odglawgroup.com)
  • Not only is CT sensitive to the detection fractures but it is also able to exquisitely characterize their extent and allow for surgical planning. (radiopaedia.org)
  • [9] During the Middle Ages in Al-Andalus from 936 to 1013 AD, Al-Zahrawi performed surgical treatments of head injuries, skull fractures, spinal injuries, hydrocephalus , subdural effusions and headache. (wikipedia.org)
  • Skull fractures, if closed and undisplaced, rarely need any direct management, with treatment being aimed at any associated injury (e.g. extradural hematoma). (radiopaedia.org)
  • Uncomplicated skull fractures themselves rarely produce neurologic deficit, but the associated intracranial injury may have serious neurologic sequelae. (medscape.com)
  • There were two deaths, four or five serious spinal fractures (two with serious neurological sequelae), and several depressed skull fractures, with varying degrees of associated brain injury. (bmj.com)
  • Skull radiograph in a man shows a linear temporoparietal fracture. (medscape.com)
  • citation needed] Linear skull fractures are usually of little clinical significance unless they parallel in close proximity or transverse a suture, or they involve a venous sinus groove or vascular channel. (wikipedia.org)
  • Fractures of the skull can be classified as linear or depressed. (medscape.com)
  • Linear fractures are either vault fractures or skull base fractures.Vault fractures and depressed fractures can be either closed or open (clean or dirty/contaminated). (medscape.com)
  • A study of 66 skull fractures in children (mean age, 5.9 yr) supported previous evidence that routine skull radiographs are of little benefit in cases of minor head trauma and that additional CT scans are not indicated in symptomatic children with linear fractures. (medscape.com)
  • Severe skull fractures can be life-threatening medical emergencies, but most linear skull fractures don't require treatment. (childrensmn.org)
  • Linear skull fracture patients could require medical observation before returning to their routine without medical treatment. (hofeldandschaffner.com)
  • Skull radiography has been supplanted by CT in characterizing skull fractures in the setting of acute traumatic brain injury, though it may be useful in limited circumstances, such as radiopaque foreign bodies. (medscape.com)
  • Traumatic dural sinus thrombosis is most commonly seen in patients with skull fractures that extend to a dural venous sinus or the jugular foramen. (medscape.com)
  • Skull fractures are common in the setting of both closed traumatic brain injury and penetrating brain injury . (radiopaedia.org)
  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from sudden impact of an external force to the skull. (oshmanlaw.com)
  • Almost invariably, if the fracture involves a paranasal sinus , middle ear or mastoid air cells , then they will contain some blood, which is a helpful clue to the presence of an underlying fracture. (radiopaedia.org)
  • In addition, cerebral edema associated with skull fractures is a common and frequently fatal complication of head injury and may develop within minutes or hours of injury. (medscape.com)
  • The skull is formed by the fusion of several flat bones held together by the cranial sutures. (medscape.com)
  • The bones in your skull can be divided into the cranial bones, which form your cranium, and facial bones, which make up your face. (healthline.com)
  • Several injuries and health conditions can impact your cranial bones, including fractures and congenital conditions. (healthline.com)
  • A skull fracture (FRAK-chur) is a break or crack in one of the bones of the skull, also called the cranium (CRAY-nee-um). (childrensmn.org)
  • The human skull is made up of two parts and 22 small bones. (childrensmn.org)
  • The cranium, the part of the skull above and behind the face, includes eight bones that come together at special joints called sutures (SOO-churs). (childrensmn.org)
  • These are the bones that crack or break when someone has a skull fracture. (childrensmn.org)
  • A diastatic (dy-uh-STAT-ik) skull fracture is a breakage at the sutures, the joints between the bones of the head, that widens the space between the sutures. (childrensmn.org)
  • Jones was rushed to the children's hospital unconscious, with multiple broken bones, including a depressed skull fracture. (adventistreview.org)
  • I had both side of my jaw broken along with multiple other bones in my face, a depressed skull fracture, and hanging injuries including broken hyoid, broken tracheal cartilage, nerves sheared out of my left vocal cord and so on and so forth). (bikeforums.net)
  • Diastatic skull fractures happen along the skull's suture lines, found between head bones that merge during childhood. (hofeldandschaffner.com)
  • Often, if skull bones break but remain in place, the brain is not damaged. (msdmanuals.com)
  • The adult human skull is comprised of twenty-two bones which are divided into two parts: the neurocranium and the viscerocranium. (osteoporosis.org.za)
  • A brief evaluation of abrasions and/or lacerations over the head is performed for evidence of decompressed or open skull fractures. (vin.com)
  • According to postmortem findings, Dube suffered a depressed skull fracture while Moyo suffered head injuries, a deformed left skull, multiple skull fractures and lacerations from several blows to the head. (nehandaradio.com)
  • Generally, these fractures are of little clinical significance unless they involve a vascular channel, a venous sinus groove, or a suture. (medscape.com)
  • A fracture indicates that substantial force has been applied to the head and is likely to have damaged the cranial contents. (medscape.com)
  • Most adult diastatic fractures are caused by severe head injuries. (wikipedia.org)
  • Thus they are rare, occurring as the only fracture in only 4% of severe head injury patients. (wikipedia.org)
  • However, in contrast to accidental head trauma, where radiographs have largely been replaced by CT, skull radiographs are still often performed as part of the skeletal survey in evaluation of suspected nonaccidental trauma. (medscape.com)
  • It has been generally accepted that skull radiographs and head CT are complementary examinations, since fractures in the plane of the transaxial CT image may not be apparent on the head CT examination. (medscape.com)
  • Open head injuries happen if an object punctures or ruptures the skull. (odglawgroup.com)
  • This classification of head injury comes in two types: skull fractures and penetrating injuries. (odglawgroup.com)
  • Closed head injuries manifest if the brain punches the inside of the skull. (odglawgroup.com)
  • Your skull provides structure to your head and face while also protecting your brain . (healthline.com)
  • Cain however had a depressed skull fracture on the right side of her head which ran in a horizontal fashion. (justia.com)
  • A non-contrast head CT should be performed in all patients with depressed level of consciousness, to evaluate for structural lesions. (wikidoc.org)
  • Closed head injury refers to TBI in which the head is hit by or strikes an object without breaking the skull. (encyclopedia.com)
  • In a penetrating head injury, an object such as a bullet fractures the skull and enters brain tissue. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Diffuse brain damage associated with closed head injury may result from back-and-forth movement of the brain against the inside of the bony skull. (encyclopedia.com)
  • In people with a skull fracture, brain damage may be more severe than in people with a head injury but no fracture. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Doctors suspect a skull fracture based on circumstances, symptoms, and results of a physical examination in people who have had a head injury. (msdmanuals.com)
  • X-rays of the skull are rarely helpful in people who have had a head injury. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Paribaha Mukhopadhyay, one of the doctors attacked, suffered a depressed skull fracture when a brick hurled by the protesters hit his head, and Dr. Yash Tejkwani suffered a rib fracture and spine injury. (ifmsa.org)
  • With four main categories of skull fracture, a physician should check your child carefully if you suspect a head injury. (meshbesher.com)
  • Results: In paper I, we found that the most common cause of TBI was assault, while depressed skull fracture (DSF) and epidural hematoma (EDH) were the leading injuries. (uib.no)
  • Skull thickness is not uniform, and therefore, the impact of forces required to cause a fracture depends on the site of the impact. (medscape.com)
  • The pattern of fracturing depends on the location, direction and kinetic properties of the impact as well as intrinsic features of the skull 2-4 . (radiopaedia.org)
  • The diploe does not form where the skull is covered with muscles, leaving the vault thin and prone to fracture. (medscape.com)
  • A doctor should always be notified if someone has headaches, dizziness, confusion, or any symptoms of a skull fracture following a blow or injury to the skull. (childrensmn.org)
  • Symptoms may include pain, symptoms of brain damage, and, in certain fractures, fluid leaking from the nose or ears or bruises behind the ears or around the eyes. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Scans showed that Izzy had a broken eye socket and a depressed fracture on her skull, causing a bleed on her brain. (thatslife.com.au)
  • The girl was later airlifted to UNC Medical Center with a broken right leg and a depressed skull fracture, but is doing OK, Godwin said. (abc11.com)
  • These fractures are usually the result of low-energy transfer due to blunt trauma over a wide surface area of the skull. (medscape.com)
  • The common cause of injury is blunt force trauma where the impact energy transferred over a wide area of the skull. (wikipedia.org)
  • The skull is thick at the glabella, the external occipital protuberance, the mastoid processes, and the external angular process. (medscape.com)
  • Helical CT scan is helpful in occipital condylar fractures, but 3-dimensional reconstruction usually is not necessary. (medscape.com)
  • The skull is thickened at the glabella, external occipital protuberance, mastoid processes, and external angular process and is joined by 3 arches on either side. (medscape.com)
  • The impact of the collision causes the soft, gelatinous brain tissue to jar against bony prominences on the inside of the skull. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Diffuse axonal injury, or shear injury, may follow contrecoup injury even if there is no damage to the skull or obvious bleeding into the brain tissue. (encyclopedia.com)
  • Depressed skull fractures present a high risk of increased pressure on the brain, or a hemorrhage to the brain that crushes the delicate tissue. (wikipedia.org)
  • It crushes the delicate tissue, similarly to a depressed skull fracture. (wikipedia.org)
  • When a fracture is identified, a careful search for adjacent soft tissue injury should be undertaken. (radiopaedia.org)
  • Diagram of the skull vault shows the location of various collections of fluid and/or blood. (medscape.com)
  • Other sites at risk for fracture are the cribriform plate, the roof of orbits in the anterior cranial fossa, and the areas between the mastoid and dural sinuses in the posterior cranial fossa. (medscape.com)
  • Contrast-enhanced MRI or CT may be helpful if posttraumatic infection is clinically suspected in patients with risk factors such as skull base fractures. (medscape.com)
  • If a fracture breaks the skin, bacteria may enter the skull through the fracture, causing infection and severe brain damage. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Depressed skull fractures may expose the brain to the environment and foreign material, leading to infection or the formation of abscesses (collections of pus) within the brain. (msdmanuals.com)
  • Blood may collect in the sinuses, which may also be fractured. (msdmanuals.com)