cephalhematoma
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A collection of blood under the scalp of a newborn: A medical condition where blood pools between a newborn baby's skull and the fibrous covering (periosteum) of one of the skull bones. It is caused by pressure on the baby's head during a prolonged or difficult vaginal birth, which can rupture small blood vessels.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The pediatrician examined the cephalhematoma on the infant's head.
- A cephalhematoma typically appears a few hours after birth as a raised, soft swelling.
- Unlike other types of swelling, a cephalhematoma does not cross the suture lines of the skull.
Advanced Usage
- Clinical Context: The term is used almost exclusively in medical and pediatric contexts to describe this specific birth injury. It is important for healthcare providers to distinguish it from other scalp swellings like caput succedaneum.
- The medical team monitored the infant's cephalhematoma for signs of jaundice, as the breakdown of the collected blood can increase bilirubin levels.
Variants and Related Words
- Cephalohematoma: An alternative spelling for the same condition.
- Subperiosteal hematoma: A more general medical term describing a hematoma under the periosteum, which can occur in other bones besides the skull.
Synonyms
- Subperiosteal hematoma of the newborn: A more descriptive synonym.
- Birth hematoma (of the scalp): A less technical, descriptive term.
Antonyms
- There is no direct antonym for this specific medical condition. In a broader sense, an intact scalp or normal scalp would be the opposite state.
Notes
- Important Distinction: A cephalhematoma is confined to a single skull bone because the periosteum is attached at the suture lines. This is a key feature that differentiates it from caput succedaneum, which is a diffuse swelling of the scalp that cross suture lines.
Noun
- a collection of blood under the scalp of a newborn; caused by pressure during birth