Growing skull fracture in a 2 months old child

Abstract

A growing skull fracture, also called posttraumatic leptomeningeal cyst, is a rare complication of skull fractures - less than 1%, usually encountered in children younger than 3 years old. Although rare, this complication must be recognized early and treated to prevent permanent neurologic deficits. We present the case of a 2 months old child who had suffered a closed head trauma in a car accident 2 weeks before he was admitted in our clinic with a left parietal growing skull fracture. He was submitted to surgery and leptomeningeal cyst was evacuated, dural defect repaired and bone fragments fixed. Child was discharged 6 days postoperative without neurologic deficits. Growing skull fractures represent a rare complication of head trauma in small children. It is imperious to be recognized and treated in early phases to prevent debilitating permanent neurologic deficits in that category of population.