Closed Depressed Skull Fracture in Childhood Reduced with Suction Cup Vacuum Method: Case Report and a Systematic Literature Review

Depressed skull fracture, also referred to as a “ping-pong ball” or “pond” fracture in neonates, is a common sign of traumatic brain injury in paediatric patients. The main causes of depressed skull fractures include labour and obstetric trauma in newborns and direct head trauma in older children. Skull depression rarely resolves spontaneously, and the surgical options include open cranioplasty and percutaneous microscrew elevation, among others. The use of negative pressure as a technique for fracture reduction has been described in a few papers. Here, we present a case-based review along with an illustrative case of depressed skull fracture reduced using the suction cup method via negative pressure. In addition, a Systematic Literature Review was performed to evaluate the safety of applying this procedure. The suction cup method is a feasible method to reduce depressed skull fracture in children, with minimum complications and no apparent long-term impairments.