Reversal sign on ante- and postmortem brain imaging in a newborn: report of one case.
A 16-day-old female newborn was admitted to the emergency department after cardiopulmonary arrest. Total-body radiographs and non-enhanced CT of the brain showed fracture of the right clavicle, pericerebral hemorrhage and brain damage with reversal sign. The infant died on the day of her hospital admission. Because child abuse was suspected, a medicolegal autopsy was ordered by the legal authorities. Prior to autopsy, total-body MRI and CT were performed. Results of the ante- and postmortem investigations were compared with each other and then with the autopsy findings. Postmortem brain imaging showed persistence of the reversal sign. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case describing hypoxic ischemic damage of the brain parenchyma on antemortem CT and persisting on postmortem imaging in a child abuse case.
Dedouit
Fabrice
F
Service de Médecine Légale, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Rangueil, 1 avenue du Professeur Jean Poulhès, TSA 50032, 31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France. fabded2@hotmail.com
Sévely
Annick
A
Costagliola
Rémi
R
Otal
Philippe
P
Loubes-Lacroix
Florence
F
Manelfe
Claude
C
Joffre
Francis
F
Rougé
Daniel
D
Telmon
Norbert
N
D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed