Extradural hematomas of the posterior fossa.

MANY excellent articles 1 have adequately described the entity of extradural hematoma of the cerebral convexity. The symptom complex, surgical experience and pathology have been so succinctly and frequently commented on as to make the lesion familiar to all who have a ready acquaintance with craniocerebral injuries. This acquaintance, however, is perhaps so intimate that the suspicion of an extradural lesion immediately calls to mind a rupture of the middle meningeal artery or of some of its radicles, to the exclusion of hematomas from other sources and at other intracranial locations so that emergency surgical treatment of these is possibly neglected. The following reports are of extradural hematomas, exclusively of the posterior fossa in 1 case and chiefly of the posterior fossa in the second. The literature on this entity is also summarized and an effort is made to find a common denominator in order to make clinicians more aware