A cranial fracture is any type of fracture that occurs in one of the skull bones, which is more common after a strong blow to the head or due to a fall from a great height.
In these cases, it is also common to develop head trauma, which happens when the brain also suffers injuries, which can lead to fainting and even more serious complications, such as loss of vision, loss of movement in any limb and even coma.
For this reason, a cranial fracture is considered an emergency situation that should be treated and evaluated as soon as possible in the hospital, even if it is not certain that a fracture actually occurred. However, if a fall from a great height has occurred, it is recommended to call for medical help and avoid moving the person, as this can cause spinal injuries.
Here's what to do in the event of a high fall.
Main symptoms
The symptoms of a skull fracture can vary according to the affected site, however, the most common ones include:
- Headache at the point of impact; "Rooster" on the head or small high; Nausea and vomiting; Fainting or confusion; Loss of balance.
In addition, there may be more serious symptoms such as bleeding from the nose, eyes or ears, very severe headache, exaggerated swelling of the site and the presence of purple spots on the scalp or face.
In any case, you should always go to the hospital after hitting your head hard, to do a neurological evaluation and assess whether there is any type of brain injury that needs to be treated.
How to confirm the diagnosis
The diagnosis of a skull fracture should always be confirmed at the hospital, as a cranial X-ray is necessary to confirm the presence of the fracture, especially if there is no change in the shape of the skull. In addition, other tests are also often required, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, to identify whether lesions in the brain have appeared that need to be treated.
Main types of skull fracture
The types of skull fractures can vary between complete or partial, depending on whether there was a complete bone fracture or not. In addition, depending on the site and the structures it affects, the fracture can also be classified as follows:
- Closed fracture: it happens when the scalp remains intact, with no wound; Open fracture: it appears when there is a wound on the scalp through which a piece of bone can escape; Fracture with depression: when the two parts of the bone turn inwards, towards the brain; Basal fracture: it appears in the area of the base of the skull around the eyes, nose, ears and top of the neck.
Normally, in the type of basal fracture, it is possible to observe a characteristic very common to this type of fracture, which is called "panda eyes" due to the appearance of purple spots around the eyes.
How the treatment is done
The treatment of a skull fracture is different from that of any other fracture in the body. For example, when the fracture is not very large and does not cause symptoms, the doctor can only recommend constant vigilance to ensure that the bones are healing, without requiring specific treatment. However, during recovery one should avoid any type of blow to the head.
If symptoms appear, the doctor assesses the complexity of the fracture and evaluates whether it is better to have surgery or keep the fracture healing naturally, recommending only a few remedies to relieve the symptoms, especially the headache.
However, if the fracture is more complex, surgery may be necessary to correct the deformation and allow the bone to heal properly.
