Treatment and management of head injuries in children.

Head injury is defined as any trauma to the head other than superficial injuries to the face (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2010) and is the most common type of traumatic injury seen in children (Johnstone et al 1996). A skull fracture, meanwhile, describes a break in the cranial bones and is highly predictive of intracranial injuries (Schutzman and Greenes 2001). Emergency practitioners should understand the signs and symptoms indicative of skull fracture, therefore, and know when to refer children to neurosurgical colleagues. This article examines the literature on skull fractures and the available guidelines on the management of head injuries, and presents a relevant case study.