Infantile Scalp Swellings Beyond the Immediate Postpartum Period

INTRODUCTION Scalp swellings in newborn infants are common in the immediate postpartum period. Unlike caput succedaneum, the most common and short lived variant, cephalhematomas and subgaleal hemorrhages both involve blood accumulation, either under the cranial periosteum or aponeurosis, respectively, and can persist for weeks. However, eventually, they do resolve and do not recur. When an infant comes to medical attention with a new scalp swelling without having sustained postpartum scalp trauma, or with a history of postpartum scalp trauma that had already resolved, the question of whether the …