Guidelines for postmortem protocol for ocular investigation of sudden unexplained infant death and suspected physical child abuse.
Postmortem examination is a cornerstone in identifying the cause of unexplained sudden death in children. Even in cases of suspected or known abuse, an autopsy may help characterize the nature of the abuse, which is particularly important in the forensic autopsy of children in the first 3 to 4 years of life when inflicted neurotrauma is most common. Forensic examinations are vital in cases that might otherwise be diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome. The ocular autopsy in particular may demonstrate findings that were not appreciated on antemortem clinical examination. This protocol for postmortem examination of the eyes and orbits was developed to promote more consistent documentation of findings, improved clinical and forensic decision making, and more replicable and coherent research outcomes.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
M G F
MG
Gilliland
Alex V
AV
Levin
Robert W
RW
Enzenauer
Charles
C
Smith
M Andrew
MA
Parsons
Lucy B
LB
Rorke-Adams
James R
JR
Lauridson
G Robert
GR
La Roche
Linda M
LM
Christmann
Marcellina
M
Mian
Jeffrey
J
Jentzen
Kenneth B
KB
Simons
Yair
Y
Morad
Randell
R
Alexander
Carole
C
Jenny
Tamara
T
Wygnanski-Jaffe
D001344:Autopsy / Q000592:standards*; D002649:Child Abuse; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000473:pathology*; D014481:United States