title: Headholders' - complications in neurosurgery: A review of the literature and recommendations for its use.
abstract: Several types of headholders are routinely used in neurosurgical practice to secure the head in a precise position, providing better security during surgical dissection as well as an absence of eye compression during prone positions. Nevertheless, potentially lethal complications might occur. We performed a review of the literature via PubMed and Google Scholar using the terms "Mayfield skull clamp", "Sugita headholders", "headholder complications" and "skull clamp complications". Twenty-six complications directly related to the use of headholders were identified through 19 papers published from 1981 to 2014: mainly skull fractures with or without a dural laceration (50%), epidural hematomas (23.8%), skull fractures with or without a dural laceration (50%), and air embolism (9.5%). The authors propose recommendations for the safe use of headholders.
authors.affiliation: Skull base surgery unit, department of neurosurgery B, Pierre-Wertheimer neurological and neurosurgical hospital, hospices civils de Lyon, 59, boulevard Pinel, 69394 Lyon cedex 03, France.
authors.forename: P-A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Beuriat
authors.affiliation: Skull base surgery unit, department of neurosurgery B, Pierre-Wertheimer neurological and neurosurgical hospital, hospices civils de Lyon, 59, boulevard Pinel, 69394 Lyon cedex 03, France.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jacquesson
authors.affiliation: Skull base surgery unit, department of neurosurgery B, Pierre-Wertheimer neurological and neurosurgical hospital, hospices civils de Lyon, 59, boulevard Pinel, 69394 Lyon cedex 03, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jouanneau
authors.affiliation: Skull base surgery unit, department of neurosurgery B, Pierre-Wertheimer neurological and neurosurgical hospital, hospices civils de Lyon, 59, boulevard Pinel, 69394 Lyon cedex 03, France. Electronic address: berhouma.moncef@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berhouma
mesh_terms: D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000601:surgery*; D006407:Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D009493:Neurosurgery; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D012886:Skull / Q000601:surgery*; D013525:Surgical Instruments
keywords: Cervical spine surgery; Complications; Cranial surgery; Headholder; Recommendations; Skull clamp