Children University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine Plain film radiographs of the skull are obtained in limited circumstances. In most instances, CT scanning of the head is more useful. Some hospitals and clinics do not have easy access to CT scanning and hence, they rely more on the use of clinical assessment, plain film skull radiographs, and judicious referral to a center with a CT scanner. Interpreting skull radiographs in infants can be difficult since their skulls have many normal lucencies. Fractures are rarely sinusoidal.
Fractures are usually linear, stellate, or depressed.
View normal skull radiograph. Four standard views are often obtained. An AP view, a Towne's view, and two lateral views. The Towne's view is an AP view with the neck flexed forward. Two lateral views can be more optimal than a single lateral view to permit the film to focus on one side at a time.