Sudden death associated with a multifocal type II hemangioendothelioma of the liver in a 3-month-old infant.
Sudden unexpected death in an infant caused by or associated with neoplasm is rare. We describe a case of a sudden death in an apparently healthy 3-month-old female, in which the autopsy revealed a multiple type II infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma (IHE). This uncommon tumor has, untreated, a relatively high mortality rate, mainly due cardiac failure resulting from massive arteriovenous shunts, but the association with sudden infant death is very rare.
Lunetta
P
P
Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. philippe.lunetta@helsinki.fi
Karikoski
R
R
Penttilä
A
A
Sajantila
A
A
D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006390:Hemangioendothelioma / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size