In Utero Skull Fracture

Abstract

In this report the authors discuss the unique case of a 19-year-old pregnant victim of a motor vehicle crash, who did not have significant injuries but in whom a fracture of the fetal skull was diagnosed. Several traumatic intrauterine fetal skull fractures have been reported over the last 100 years. In the vast majority of episodes, severe maternal trauma involving fractures of the pelvis has been causally related to the injured infant. There has not been a previous report of a motor-vehicle-associated fetal skull fracture in the absence of maternal injury with dual good outcomes. After cesarean section necessitated by fetal distress, both the baby and the mother made an excellent recovery. This case underscores the importance of a thorough examination of every pregnant trauma victim and her infant, even when there are no detectable maternal injuries.