Abstract
In order to determine the cause of a perinatal death it is important to correlate the postmortem findings with the clinical histories of both mother and infant. The postmortem examination of a newborn infant differs from that of an adult in a number of ways, especially in the method of removal and dissection of the brain, the examination of the cervical spine, the dissection of the cardiovascular system for congenital abnormalities, and the examination of the placenta. A systematic technique for performing a perinatal necropsy is described. Stress is laid on measurement of the size of the infant and of the individual organs and comparison of these with known standards, allowance being made for the maturity of the infant.
Full text
PDFSelected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- BURNE J. C., LANGLEY F. A. The changes in the adrenal cortex in haemolytic disease of the newborn. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1956 Jul;72(1):47–57. doi: 10.1002/path.1700720107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Devi B., Jennison R. F., Langley F. A. Significance of placental pathology in transplacental haemorrhage. J Clin Pathol. 1968 May;21(3):322–331. doi: 10.1136/jcp.21.3.322. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- EMERY J. L. Degenerative changes in the left lobe of the liver in the newborn. Arch Dis Child. 1952 Dec;27(136):558–561. doi: 10.1136/adc.27.136.558. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Emery J. L., Kalpaktsoglou P. K. The costochondral junction during later stages of intrauterine life, and abnormal growth patterns found in association with perinatal death. Arch Dis Child. 1967 Feb;42(221):1–13. doi: 10.1136/adc.42.221.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FOX H. CALCIFICATION OF THE PLACENTA. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw. 1964 Oct;71:759–765. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1964.tb04353.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FOX H. WHITE INFARCTS OF THE PLACENTA. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw. 1963 Dec;70:980–991. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1963.tb15040.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gruenwald P., Laurence K. M. A method of examining the brain of the newborn. Dev Med Child Neurol. 1968 Feb;10(1):64–68. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.1968.tb02839.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LANGLEY F. A., BURNE J. C. The effect of disease and injury on the adrenal cortex of stillborn and newborn infants. Arch Dis Child. 1955 Apr;30(150):141–146. doi: 10.1136/adc.30.150.141. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LAURENCE K. M., MARTIN D. A technique for obtaining undistorted specimens of the central nervous system. J Clin Pathol. 1959 Mar;12(2):188–190. doi: 10.1136/jcp.12.2.188. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- NORMAN R. M., URICH H., MCMENEMEY W. H. Vascular mechanisms of birth injury. Brain. 1957 Mar;80(1):49–58. doi: 10.1093/brain/80.1.49. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Penrose L. S. Medical significance of finger-prints and related phenomena. Br Med J. 1968 May 11;2(5601):321–325. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5601.321. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Robinson R. J., Rossiter M. A. Massive subaponeurotic haemorrhage in babies of African origin. Arch Dis Child. 1968 Dec;43(232):684–687. doi: 10.1136/adc.43.232.684. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- YATES P. O. Birth trauma to the vertebral arteries. Arch Dis Child. 1959 Oct;34:436–441. doi: 10.1136/adc.34.177.436. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]