Spontaneous Intrauterine “Ping-Pong” Fracture: Review and Case Illustration

Abstract

We report a case of a closed outer-table parietal “ping-pong” skull fracture occurring in a 4 190-gram female infant born at 39 weeks and 5 days gestation after an uneventful Cesarean section (Apgar scores of 9 and 9 at one and five minutes). There was no maternal history of abdominal trauma during pregnancy and there were no complications or difficulties with Cesarean section delivery. Neurological examination was normal. Computed tomography with three-dimensional reconstruction images showed a 4 × 5 cm depression in the right parietal bone with a medial lucency consistent with a fracture of the superior margin of the skull and leftward deviation of the sagittal suture and sinus. Spontaneous resolution did not occur by one month of age and the skull fracture was repaired with excellent cosmetic results. Rarely has a case of spontaneous intrauterine skull fracture been reported in an atraumatic Cesarean delivery. We believe this fracture resulted from a chronic in utero process without associated trauma as evidenced by deviation of the sagittal suture and sinus.

Key words

“ping-pong” fracture - intrauterine skull fracture - pediatric neurosurgery

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