Epidural hematoma following use of a three-point skull clamp

Abstract

We report an unusual case of epidural hematoma secondary to the use of a three-point skull-fixation device. Initially, a posterior-fossa brain tumor with hydrocephalus was diagnosed in a 15-year-old boy. Midline suboccipital craniectomy was performed with the patient placed in the prone position. A Mayfield (Ohio Medical Instrument Co., Cincinnati, OH, USA) skull clamp was used for fixation of the head during the surgical procedure, following which, a huge epidural hematoma developed within 6 hours of surgery, due to skull penetration and fracture at one of the clamp's pin sites located proximate to the coronal suture.