A 7-year-old boy arrived at the emergency room after a car accident, with an open wound in the scalp and a clear fracture in the skull bone directly beneath the wound.
Examination and a CT scan revealed an open depressed fracture (a compound fracture), where part of the skull bone had been pushed inward with an open wound reaching it directly — a combination that significantly raises the risk of infection if not treated quickly.
Because the fracture was open, urgent surgery was necessary without delay to reduce the risk of bone or brain infection — one of the clear indications for immediate surgical intervention in depressed skull fractures, alongside other factors evaluated case by case, such as a CSF leak, a neurological deficit, or a visible cosmetic deformity of the skull.
The operation involved carefully elevating the depressed bone fragment away from the brain, thoroughly washing the area to remove any contamination, then repositioning the bone back into its natural place and fixing it there, using a technique Dr. Mazen Agour has published in international medical journals. The surgery went smoothly with no complications.
The boy left the hospital the day after surgery, and his stitches were removed after two weeks. He is now under regular follow-up to confirm that the repositioned bone has fully united with the surrounding skull.
Has Your Child Had a Similar Injury?
If your child has a head injury or an open wound with a suspected skull fracture, urgent evaluation at the nearest emergency room is essential. For more detail, read Depressed Skull Fracture in Children: Causes and Treatment, learn about trauma and emergency neurosurgery with Dr. Mazen Agour, or book a follow-up appointment through the contact page.