• Cerebral Palsy
• Erb’s Palsy
• Klumpke’s Palsy
• Brachial Plexus Palsy
• Brain Damage
• Fractured extremities
• Infant Paralysis
• Caput Succedaneum
• Cephalohematoma
• Bruising/Forceps marks

Cephalohematoma

Periosteum is a durable tissue that bonds to the outer and inner surfaces of all the bones of the body, including the skull. A cephalohematoma is a collection of blood under the periosteum which is usually a complication of childbirth. It usually occurs when the fetal head is forced through the birth canal; the head is propelled forward while the cervix grips the scalp tenaciously. This sliding, tearing force can tear tiny veins that support the periosteum from the bone side. This tearing of vessels causes bleeding under the tough layer of each skeletal plate (the periosteum), and a tense pocket of blood collects. The effect is a squishy swelling with definite borders that feels just as if there were a tiny water-filled balloon under the scalp.

It is different from caput succedaneum in that the caput is a more generalized and the brief swelling of the scalp and subsides in a day or two, but the cephalohematoma becomes more evident to see and feel over the first few days of life. Cephalohematomas are more customary with forceps delivery or vacuum extraction, and in the case of forceps delivery, can denote the incidence of a skull fracture. An underlying skull fracture is especially supposed if the cephalohematoma crosses suture lines in the skull.

The resolution of an infant's uncomplicated cephalohematoma in itself is benign. The trapped blood cells unravel and the component parts are reabsorbed into the system for recycling or disposal. The heme turns into bilirubin, the iron is transformed into new red blood cells. Calcium is deposited in the resolving cephalohematoma, especially around the perimeter where the dura mater has been lifted up. As the swelling begins to resolve, you will feel a definite hard ridge around the edge of the swelling, with a spongy, balloon-like center.

Eventually, the whole residual mass of the cephalohematoma becomes hard and calcified, and then it too is reabsorbed and goes away. There is no treatment required for an uncomplicated cephalohematoma. By no means should they ever be drained or needled, because of the danger of introducing infection into the space. Problems connected to cephalohematomas are related to underlying skull fracture or damage to the brain.

If your child suffers from these symptoms or has been diagnosed with Cephalohematoma, you should immediately speak to an experienced Orlando birth injury attorney. Click here for help.