[Space-occupying, traumatically-induced hemorrhage of the posterior cranial fossa].

A total of 4,408 patients were treated for head injuries from 1980 to 1986 at the University Hospital of Innsbruck in Austria. Nine of them (0.2%) showed a traumatic, space-occupying hematoma in the posterior fossa. Clinical signs are often elusive, but tentorial or foraminal herniation with apnea may suddenly arise. Heightened awareness of these lesions and closely monitoring these patients are both necessary, especially when there is a fracture over the transverse sinus or the foramen magnum. Computed tomography helps to establish the diagnosis and leads to appropriate neurosurgical treatment. The overall mortality of patients with these lesions was 22% in our patients.