different types of skull fracture
Skull fractures. Your skull can fracture during an injury to your head. If this happens, you'll usually have a CT scan to determine the extent of the injury. There are different types of skull fractures, including: 1  simple (or closed) fracture â where the skin hasn't broken and the surrounding tissue isn't damaged. 2  compound (or open) fracture â where the skin has broken and the surrounding tissue may be damaged.
A depressed skull fracture is a type of fracture usually resulting from blunt force trauma, such as getting struck with a hammer, rock or getting kicked in the head. These types of fracturesâwhich occur in 11% of severe head injuriesâare comminuted fractures in which broken bones displace inward.
A compound elevated skull fracture is a rare type of skull fracture where the fractured bone is elevated above the intact outer table of the skull. This type of skull fracture is always compound in nature.
Diastatic fractures occur when the fracture line transverses one or more sutures of the skull causing a widening of the suture. While this type of fracture is usually seen in infants and young children as the sutures are not yet fused it can also occur in adults.