An extensive, soft swelling on the scalp of a newborn infant, which is caused by bleeding into the space between the cranium and its fibrous covering due to pressure on the baby’s head during delivery.
The swelling is not serious and gradually subsides.
n. a swelling on the head caused by a collection of bloody fluid between one or more of the skull bones (usually the *parietal bone) and its covering membrane (periosteum). It is most commonly seen in newborn infants delivered with the aid of forceps or vacuum extraction or subjected to pressures during passage through the birth canal. No treatment is necessary and the swelling disappears in a few months. If it is extensive, the blood in the fluid may break down, releasing bilirubin into the bloodstream and causing *jaundice. A cephalhaematoma in an older baby or child is evidence of some recent injury to the head; occasionally an unsuspected fracture is revealed on X-ray. See also chignon; subaponeurotic haemorrhage.
Damage sustained during birth. Minor injuries, such as bruising and swelling of the scalp during a vaginal delivery (see cephalhaematoma) are common. More serious injury can occur, particularly if the baby is excessively large and has difficulty in passing through the birth canal. A breech delivery may result in injury to nerves in the shoulder, causing temporary paralysis in the arm. The face may be paralysed temporarily if the facial nerve is traumatized by forceps. Fractured bones are another hazard of difficult deliveries, but the bones usually heal easily. (See also birth defects; brain damage.)... birth injury
a temporary swelling of the soft parts of the head of a newly born infant that occurs during labour, due to compression by the muscles of the cervix (neck) of the uterus, and resolves after delivery. Compare cephalhaematoma; chignon.... caput succedaneum
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