Hard cranial mass: cephalohematoma?

Abstract

Calcified cephalohematoma is a rare condition with aesthetic implications and unknown evolution. The history is typically described as a firm fluctuant parietal mass presented from birth that develops into a hard calcified mass. The diagnosis is based on clinical and imaging findings. Skull radiography is essential and accessible, but in cases where surgical approach is considered, magnetic resonance imaging helps to characterize the mass. We present the case of a 3-month-old infant living in São Tomé and Príncipe, with normal psychomotor development and history of cephalohematoma at birth. He attends pediatric consultation presenting a hard swelling with 2 months of evolution in the left parietal region. The skull radiograph was compatible with a calcified cephalohematoma. Since there was no access to neurosurgery and magnetic resonance, a conservative approach was chosen with follow-up in pediatric consultation.

Keywords

• birth injuries
• hematoma
• craniocerebral trauma
• calcinosis
• cephalohematoma
• labor