Skull fracture

A break in one or more bones of the skull, usually caused by forceful head trauma. Fractures may be open or closed, displaced or nondisplaced, and may involve the skull base.

Linear skull fracture: A narrow crack in a skull bone without significant displacement of the fragments. This common pattern follows impact without pushing bone inward.
Cranium: The part of the skull that encloses and protects the brain. Most skull fractures involve bones forming this protective case.
Computed tomography of the head: Cross-sectional X-ray imaging used to assess the brain and skull. CT can show fracture lines, displaced fragments, and associated bleeding.
Battle's sign: Bruising behind the ear that can indicate a fracture at the base of the skull. This delayed sign can accompany a basilar fracture.
Depressed skull fracture: A fracture in which a skull fragment is pushed inward toward the brain. Direct force can drive a fragment below the surrounding skull surface.
Cranial suture: A fibrous joint connecting adjacent bones of the skull. Fractures may cross or widen these joints, particularly in young children.
Skull radiography: Plain X-ray imaging of the bones of the skull. Unlike modern CT, plain skull films provide limited assessment of associated brain injury.
Raccoon eyes: Bruising around both eyes that may follow a fracture of the skull base. Blood tracking into the tissues around the eyes can signal a basilar injury.
Basilar skull fracture: A fracture involving the bones at the base of the skull. Force transmitted through the skull can break its base and injure nearby structures.
Meninges: The three membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. A skull break can damage these layers and permit cerebrospinal fluid leakage.

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