There is a small groove in the skull of a newborn

Many mothers will find a small groove on the bones of newborns while taking care of their children. This is a relatively normal phenomenon. It is usually caused by incomplete development of the child's skull, that is, the anterior fontanelle has not closed. When the baby is one to one and a half years old, after the fontanelle closes, this small groove will naturally disappear. Below, we will introduce you to the relevant knowledge about the newborn skull in detail.

1. Is it normal for a newborn baby to have a small groove on his skull?

This is a normal phenomenon. It is caused by incomplete ossification of the newborn's skull, so the bones are connected by cartilage. When the newborn is born, the edges of the two bones' cartilage can overlap due to the accumulation of cartilage in the birth canal, allowing the head to pass through the birth canal smoothly. The ossification of the baby's skull can be basically completed within one year old, and the anterior fontanelle will close before one and a half years old at the latest.

Of course, if there is a lack of calcium, malnutrition can slow down this process, so that some children over 1 year old will experience skull softening.

What is a neonatal skull depression?

Neonatal skull depression refers to a depression in the newborn's head, which generally presents a ping-pong ball-like fracture. That is, the head is compressed and deformed like a ping-pong ball, but there is no obvious fracture line. The difference between a newborn and an adult is that the skull is relatively soft, mainly composed of organic components, has good elasticity, and is not easily broken when held in the hands. However, when squeezed or hit by external force, such a ping-pong ball-like depression may appear.

There are generally no obvious symptoms of brain damage in newborns with skull depression. Some can recover automatically, but symptoms such as epilepsy may also occur, and even basic development such as speaking may be affected. This is related to the severity of the disease.

How to treat neonatal skull depression

1. For children with unstable vital signs and increased intracranial pressure, use drugs to reduce intracranial pressure and promote neurological function recovery, while keeping the airway open, oxygen inhalation, and correcting acidosis.

2. For those with respiratory insufficiency, use aminophylline and scopolamine.

3. Use sufficient sedatives in the early stages for children who are irritable or have convulsions.

4. Surgical method: incision of fracture edge, skull drilling, fracture reduction, and flushing to remove epidural hematoma. For patients with subdural hematoma, a No. 7 trocar is used to puncture the lateral angle of the anterior fontanelle or the bone suture to aspirate the hematoma or draw blood through the drilling site. The amount of fluid drawn each time should not exceed 15 ml. If necessary, the subdural space should be repeatedly flushed with saline until the flushing fluid is clear.