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CASE REPORT
Spontaneous resolution of a ‘ping-pong’ fracture at birth
  1. Ozkan Ilhan1,
  2. Meltem Bor1,
  3. Pinar Yukkaldiran2
  1. 1Department of Neonatology, Harran University School of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey
  2. 2Department of Pediatrics, Harran University School of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ozkan Ilhan, ozkanilhan-83{at}hotmail.com

Summary

‘Ping-pong’ fractures are depressed skull fractures in newborn infants that occur as inward buckling of the calvarial bones, forming a cup shape. These fractures are often associated with maintenance of bone continuity. These fractures may occur spontaneously during the intrauterine period or secondary to birth trauma. Currently, there is no standard protocol for the management of depressed skull fractures. Neurosurgical or non-surgical approaches may be administered depends on the severity of the fracture. Most untreated ping-pong fractures resolve spontaneously within 6 months. Therefore, it is recommended to reserve surgical elevation or non-surgical techniques for infants not demonstrating spontaneous resolution during this period. In addition, neurosurgical interventions are usually considered for cases with intracranial pathology or neurological deficits or for infants who do not respond to conservative treatment. Herein, we report a case of a newborn infant with a spontaneous intrauterine ping-pong fracture, which spontaneously resolved, without surgical or non-surgical intervention.

  • neonatal health
  • neurosurgery
  • trauma CNS /PNS
  • neuroimaging
  • anaesthesia

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Footnotes

  • Contributors All authors contributed significantly to the planning, conduct and reporting of the manuscript. OI was responsible for database search and writing of the article. PY was the primary treating physician of the patient and followed up the patient after discharge. MB revised the content and accepts responsibility for the overall content as a guarantor.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Parental/guardian consent obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.