Clival fractures in children: a challenge in the trauma room setting!

Clival fractures are a very rare but severe consequence of blunt head trauma in the pediatric population and may be challenging to diagnose, especially in cases with an unfused sphenooccipital synchondrosis. Vascular damage following clival fractures appears to be as common in pediatric patients as in adults. Therefore, contrast-enhanced CT of the cervical spine and head and/or magnetic resonance angiography is strongly recommended to rule out vascular injury of the extra- and intracranial brain-supplying vessels within the trauma room setting.