Mayfield Skull Clamp Head Fixation

Craniotomy and skull base procedures require the head to remain completely immobile relative to the operating table throughout the procedure. Standard neurosurgical protocol designates the three-point skull clamp as the primary head immobilisation method for open craniotomies and select posterior cervical spine fusions. The mayfield skull clamp, recognised as the most widely used head immobilisation device in neurosurgical practice, achieves rigid fixation through calibrated pin torque applied within the sweatband zone, with 60 lbs of force applied as the standard for adult cranial procedures, consistent with established neurosurgical positioning protocol.

Intraoperative neuronavigation systems, including stereotactic and electromagnetic platforms, depend on rigid head fixation to maintain registration accuracy throughout the surgical case. The mayfield head clamp provides the stable cranial reference point that neuronavigation requires, allowing the surgeon to correlate intraoperative anatomy with pre-operative imaging without repositioning errors. Standard neuronavigation protocol specifies that fiducial registration and intraoperative probe use are performed with the head locked into a fixed position, and the clamp frame must maintain that position without drift for the duration of the procedure.