This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Cephalhaematoma

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • a cephalhaematoma is a bruise on a neonate's head resulting from prolonged stage II of labour or from instrumental delivery, especially ventouse

  • a cephalhaematoma represents a subperiostial swelling - therefore its boundaries is limited by the individual bone margins

  • the misshapen head can cause some parental alarm, but they can be reassured that it will resolve with time. The swelling is fluctuant

  • complications of very large cephalhaematomas include anaemia from the quantity of bleed into the haematoma and jaundice from haemolysis within it. These are rare.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.