Broken mayfield head clamp

Abstract

The Mayfield head clamp is the most frequently used head clamp system in the field of neurosurgery. In many cases, surgery is performed with complete reliance on the safety of the MHC. However, we experienced an extremely rare case in which the MHC accidentally broke while installing this system for immobilization of the head and neck. This is a case report with a brief review of the literature. The patient was a 58-year-old female who was scheduled to undergo cervical laminoplasty under the diagnosis of degenerative spondylotic cervical stenosis. In an attempt to install an MHC, we fixed three pins in the scalp; however, the arm of the MHC system broke when force was applied from both directions. Fortunately, the patient remained in a stable position and did not sustain an injury to the head or neck. Fixation was performed using another MHC, and the surgery was performed successfully. The patient was discharged after surgery with no specific complications related to the MHC system. The authors experienced an extremely rare case of MHC breakage during application and report the importance of properly managing and maintaining the instruments in order to prevent fatal injury. Copyright © 2009 The Korean Neurosurgical Society.