Contralateral cerebral infarction following vacuum extraction.

Cerebral infarction is a rare complication following a vacuum-assisted delivery occurring on the side of the vacuum application and often accompanied by a cephalhematoma. We report a case of cerebral infarction that was contralateral to the side of the vacuum application in a term baby. The baby presented with seizures in the immediate neonatal period. There was no fracture of the skull to account for a contusion injury. We discuss the mechanisms of intracranial vascular injuries during the process of natural and assisted birth.