[Fatal epidural hemorrhage after a 2-week interval]

This in a report on a 15-year old school girl who sustained a skull fracture after a fall. Apart from an initial syncope and signs of commotio cerebri no severe cerebral deficiencies were apparent. She died suddenly soon after her discharge and 2 weeks after the accident. The officially confirmed cause of death (based on autopsy by order of a court) was an epidural hemorrhage. This hemorrhage originated from a reruptured traumatic pseudoaneurysma of the arteria meningea media. The morphological findings are presented. The legal problems are discussed especially in the light of recently re-introduced conservative treatment of epidural hemorrhage diagnosed by computed tomography.