Head Injury (Child)

Skull X-rays help to identify skull fractures. However, they do not directly show brain injury or bleeding within the skull.

A skull X-ray is not a reliable indicator of bleeding within the skull or brain injury.

Your doctor will examine your child and decide if a skull X-Ray is really necessary. Skull X-rays are seldom necessary.

Clinically abnormal signs and symptoms as mentioned above are much more reliable than skull X-rays as predictors of injury or bleeding within the skull.

A normal skull X-ray does not rule not bleeding within the skull or brain injury.

Close monitoring of the child's behaviour over the next 72 hours of head injury is still necessary even though the skull X-ray may be normal.

If brain injury or bleeding within the skull is suspected, the patient will need urgent CT scan.