Intrauterine epidermal necrosis: report of three cases.
BACKGROUND
Extensive epidermal necrosis in newborn infants is an unusual event of heterogeneous cause.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this article is to describe what seems to be a previously unrecognized lethal disease.


METHODS
The clinical and histopathologic features of three premature infants, two of them nonidentical twins, and the autopsy findings of one of them were analyzed.


RESULTS
Intrauterine lethal epidermal necrosis with hair follicle calcification, except for the face, hands, feet, elbows, and knees, was present in all three patients. Some histopathologic features were suggestive of epidermal apoptosis.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose that the clinicopathologic alterations in our patients represent a new condition that may be caused by massive epidermal apoptosis.
Ruiz-Maldonado
R
R
Department of Dermatology, National Institute of Pediatrics, Mexico City, Mexico.
Durán-McKinster
C
C
Carrasco-Daza
D
D
Tamayo-Sánchez
L
L
Orozco-Covarrubias
M L
ML
D017209:Apoptosis; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology; D003094:Collagen; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D004550:Elbow; D004817:Epidermis / Q000473:pathology; D005145:Face; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D005528:Foot; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000473:pathology; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000473:pathology; D007633:Keratins; D007717:Knee; D009336:Necrosis; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012868:Skin Abnormalities / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic
D007633:Keratins; D003094:Collagen