Neonatal Subgaleal Hematoma from Trauma During Vaginal Delivery without Instrument Use

Lucy Y Liu1, Richard J Antaya2,3

  • 1School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

Pediatric Dermatology
|December 17, 2016
PubMed

Neonatal subgaleal hematomas (SGHs) are rare but potentially life-threatening complications of vacuum extraction deliveries. We report a rare case of four enlarging SGHs in an 11-day-old boy born without use of instruments during delivery. It is likely that trauma from the provider's fingers caused these SGHs during a normal vaginal delivery. Ultrasound findings confirmed the diagnosis of SGH, distinct from other birth trauma such as cephalohematoma or caput succedaneum.