Need help with some medical information.

[Imported]

Okay, imagine there's a girl at the age of six. She falls backwards, and dies from a serious blow to the base of her skull. She also sustainted a spiral fracture to her left humerous. From falling or not, it's not known. My questions are..

At age six, how does a child's skull compare to that of an adult?

At age four, the bone plates in the skull supposedly fuse, is it fully fused, what?

What exactly is an intercranical hemorage and how is it obtained?

Spiral fractures most often occur to young childing by means of child abuse. Can they happen any other ways? Like for example, trying to break your fall?

If anyone can help me out here, it'd be greatly appreciated.

 

[C'DaleRider]

First a definition: Intracranial hemorrhage: bleeding within the cranium (head) which may be extradural, subdural, subarachnoid, etc. The dura mater is the outer lining covering the brain; extradural means outside the dura, subdural is under the dura mater lining, subarachnoid is hemorrhage occurring when there is bleeding into the space between the brain and the arachnoid membrane (the middle membrane covering the brain). Each layer deeper toward the brain the bleeding occurs within is more and more serious. Subdurals are dangerous, but not as quickly deadly as a subarachnoid.

Spiral fractures occur in twisting motions........can be from child abuse or just by accident (foot gets caught, body continues twisting, fracture occur). But I cannot imagine how someone falling backward can give a twisting movement to the leg, unless the foot was trapped........considering the base of the skull is the death blow spot. But if the foot was trapped and the person was attempting to twist around, then the rear of the skull shouldn't have hit.

Most fractures seen in attempting to break falls center on the hands, arms, wrists, and collar bone (clavicle).

The skull of a young infant and young child is made up of bony plates that allow for growth of the skull. The borders along which these plates intersect are called sutures or suture lines. The fontanels are usually closed by 18 months (sometimes as early as 9-10 months) and the sutures fuse together by 2 years of age.

Interestingly, a sudden blow to the base of the skull which kills instantly would not give much bleeding inside the skull. Rapid death stops the heart and bleeding. Now if the child had laid unconscious for a time after hitting her head, there would be some intracranial bleed, but just secondary to the real cause of death.

 

[zbalat]

C'DaleRider,
You should change you name to ATDOC. Damn impressive info. Nice work.

 

[Imported]

Interesting C'DaleRider, the explanation of the intercranial hemorage helps alot. Thanks.

Side note though, you say a spiral fracture is unlikely to occur to the leg, but what about the humerous? Say you were falling off a bed, or a stool and you put your arms behind you to brace your fall. Could that cause a spiral fracture?

 

[Talon]

http://www.capcenter.org/lancon.html
www.aafp.org/afp/20000415/tips/17.html
http://nyneurosurgery.org/child/head/injury/classification.htm