Bilateral Subdural Hematomas in an Adult With Hereditary Factor VII Deficiency: A Complication of Sit-ups and Inversion?

A 57-year-old man of northern Italian and Polish descent with a late-onset, mild form of hereditary factor VII deficiency developed bilateral intracranial subdural hematomas after performing sit-ups while he was in a head-down position on an inversion table. The pertinence of the Valsalva maneuver and increased intracranial venous and intraocular pressure associated with sit-ups and other exercises in the causation of subdural hematomas and other types of intracranial and ocular hemorrhage are discussed in this study.