title: Chronic epidural hematoma of the vertex.
abstract: Epidural hematomas of the cranial vertex can be rarely found in patients victims of head trauma. The diagnosis of the vertex hematoma may be delayed by the odd location of the bleeding site and the absence of a clear localization symptomatology. The current method of choice for investigation of head trauma patients, the computed tomography (CT) scans, may also give misleading diagnostic clues. Epidural hematomas of the vertex can be also encountered in a chronic form, and re-bleeding is possibly the underlying mechanism for the long term permanence of the hematoma. We report a case of a patient with a chronic epidural hematoma of the cranial vertex with a long interval between the trauma and the symptoms onset. We review the current literature focusing on the diagnostic pitfalls and forms of treatment of the chronic epidural hematoma of the vertex.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. lbonilha@unicamp.br
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonilha
authors.forename: João Paulo V
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mattos
authors.forename: Wilson Adriano A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Yvens B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Mario S D
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Andrioli
authors.forename: Guilherme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borges
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003392:Cranial Sinuses / Q000473:pathology; D003399:Craniotomy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006407:Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed