Sagittal craniosynostosis combined with ossified cephalhematoma--a tricky and demanding puzzle.

INTRODUCTION: Four cases of sagittal synostosis combined with ossified cephalhematoma prompted the authors to present the data and to discuss the implications. Large cephalhematoma of the vertex at birth with subsequent ossification occurred in all with final sizes of 6.5-10 by 4.0-5.5 by 0.8-1.8 cm. At surgery with 2-6 months, the mean skull index was 64.75, sagittal suture completely closed, and a disfiguring bony mass present in all. DISCUSSION: In three of the original cohort of 106 sagittal synostoses, ossified cephalhematoma was removed in one piece together with the suture. In contrast to pathogenesis of common parietal cephalhematomas, cephalhematoma in sagittal synostosis is rather induced by periosteal detachment of the midline by strong shearing forces because molding is hindered in the lateral direction. Frequent and fast complete ossification is possibly directed by the same local factors (e.g., Noggin) which lead to premature fusion of cranial sutures. Some treatment principles of ossified cephalhematoma in sagittal synostosis may be applied to surgery of common types.