Which statement best describes caput succedaneum?

Which statement best describes caput succedaneum?

• A. Caput succedaneum is diffuse edema of the scalp that crosses suture lines
• B. Cephalohematoma is diffuse edema crossing sutures
• C. Macrocephaly is an enlarged head due to skull growth
• D. Bossing refers to frontal prominence

Answer: (A)

Caput succedaneum is swelling of the newborn’s scalp due to generalized edema from pressure during birth. The important feature is that this edema spreads across the skull sutures, so it appears as a diffuse swelling that crosses them. It appears right after birth and typically resolves within a few days without treatment. This helps distinguish it from cephalohematoma, which is a subperiosteal bleed confined by suture lines and does not cross them, often taking weeks to resolve. The other two options describe conditions that are not edema of the scalp—macrocephaly refers to an enlarged head from skull growth, while frontal bossing is prominent forehead contour.

Caput succedaneum is swelling of the newborn’s scalp due to generalized edema from pressure during birth. The important feature is that this edema spreads across the skull sutures, so it appears as a diffuse swelling that crosses them. It appears right after birth and typically resolves within a few days without treatment.

This helps distinguish it from cephalohematoma, which is a subperiosteal bleed confined by suture lines and does not cross them, often taking weeks to resolve. The other two options describe conditions that are not edema of the scalp—macrocephaly refers to an enlarged head from skull growth, while frontal bossing is prominent forehead contour.