CONGENITAL defect of the scalp is an uncommon entity which presents certain diagnostic problems in the newborn infant. This particular case is intriguing because the child's mother has a similar defect, as well as other congenital anomalies.
Report of a Case
The propositus, a white male infant, was delivered vaginally at term without instrumentation, with a birth weight of 3,544 gm (7 lb 13 oz). The delivering physician noted at once an ulceration of the occipital scalp. Because this was thought to possibly represent a meningoencephalocele, the patient was referred, at the age of 3 hours, to Walter Reed General Hospital.Physical examination on admission revealed a term male infant with normal vital signs. There was a 2 by 2 cm oval, shallow, crusty, ulcerated area of the scalp overlying the posterior fontanel. The edges of the ulcer were raised and rolled (see Fig 1). No underlying bony defect was