The Devestating Effects of a Fractured Skull

Head injuries can be devastating to victims and their families when they occur. In adults, head injuries are one of the more common events that lead to disability or even death. Head injuries vary in severity. Along a continuum, they can be quite mild or even severe. Various fractures to the skull are common when sustaining a head injury. This would be a break somewhere in the bone of the skill.

Skull fractures can be classified into four different types. Linear skull fractures are the most common of the four types. They feature a break somewhere in the bone. However, with a linear skill fracture, the bone does not move. This type of skull fracture requires little medical intervention and has a quick recovery time.

Another types of skull fracture is a depress skulls fracture. With this type, the skull appears to be sunken into the head as a result of the injury. In these situations, there may be a laceration to the scalp, but not always. Surgical procedures may be required in some of these fractures. Of course, the treatment would vary depending upon the extent of the depressed skull fracture.
A third kind of skull fracture is a diastatic skull fracture. Adults' skull bones feature suture lines on them. These suture lines are the places where our skull joined together as we developed as children. With diastatic fractures, the fractures are seen along these suture lines. With this type of fractures, the areas widen. Typically, these fractures are more common in young children and newborns as their brains have not yet completely joined together.

The fourth type of skull fracture is a basilar skull fracture. Of the four types of skull fractures, this is the most severe. The bone located at the bottom of the skull is fractures. There may be some visible signs. Victims may have bruising surrounding their eyes or behind their ear. Fluid drainage can also occur from the ears or nose. This happens because with this sort of fracture the brain covering is ripped. Patients with basilar skull fractures require more medical care and monitoring.