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. 2025 Jan 2;41(1):77.
doi: 10.1007/s00381-024-06740-x.

Management of neonatal cephalohematoma and ossified cephalhematoma -281 cases of personal 10-year experience

Min Xi  1 , Hangyu Shi  2 , Gang Zhang  2
Affiliations

Management of neonatal cephalohematoma and ossified cephalhematoma -281 cases of personal 10-year experience

Min Xi et al. Childs Nerv Syst. .

Abstract

Objective: Investigate the clinical features and treatment outcomes of neonatal cephalohematoma and ossified cephalohematoma.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on the clinical features of 281 children with neonatal cephalohematoma and ossified cephalohematoma managed over the previous 10 years.

Results: Of the neonatal cephalohematomas, 75 underwent puncture and aspiration, while 98 neonatal ossified cephalohematomas were treated with neurosurgery without cranioplasty. The majority (83%) required only a single puncture, with no cases of infection or ossification in this group. Pathological examination revealed that ossified cephalohematomas resulted from the progression of neonatal cephalohematomas and were characterized by subperiosteal osteogenesis.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a more aggressive therapeutic approach and early surgical intervention for cephalohematoma are warranted. Puncture and aspiration of neonatal cephalohematoma is a safe and effective procedure that can prevent ossification. Early neurosurgery for ossified cephalohematoma is recommended as it is technically less challenging and can minimize the risk of severe surgical trauma.

Keywords: Cranioplasty; Neonatal cephalohematoma; Neurosurgery; Ossified cephalohematoma; Puncture and aspiration.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: The study had local review board approval from the Xi’an Children’s Hospital research ethics committee. Consent to participate: Written informed consent was obtained from the parents. Consent for publication: The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication of the images in Figs. 4, 5, and 7. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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