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cephalhematoma
(sef″әl-he″mә-to´mә)
a localized effusion of blood beneath the periosteum of the skull of a newborn, due to disruption of the vessels during birth.
Cephalhematoma, in contrast to caput succedaneum, does not cross cranial suture lines. It is firmer to the touch than an edematous area: it feels like a water-filled balloon.
Cephalhematoma usually appears on the second or third day after birth and disappears within weeks or months.

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