Traumatic hematoma on the posterior fossa

Objective To study the clinical features of patients with head injury who suffered from traumatic hematoma on the posterior fossa(THPF).?Methods Nine patients hospitalized in our department from March 1999 to October 2001 with THPF which needed to be operated on were analyzed.?Results (1)?All of our patients had a direct injury to the occipital region. The etiology was a fall in seven patients. Eight cases suffered from epidural hematoma, one had intracerebellar hematoma and contusion.?(2)?Six patients admitted with a Glasgow Coma Scale score over 12.?Seven patients had a transient loss of consciousness after injury or posttraumatic amnesia on admission. Four patients admitted with symptoms as headache or vomiting.?(3)?Eight patients underwent evacuation of epidural hematoma and decompression of the posterior fossa. One patient underwent evacuation of intracerebellar hematoma with decompression of the posterior fossa and external ventricular drainage. Among these, seven cases had a good recovery,one moderately disabled and one died.?Conclusion The clinical features of patients suffereding THPF differ from those patients suffered from supratentorial traumatic intracranial hematoma. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment are essential for improving the prognosis of patients affected by THPF.