title: Gliosis in neonatal SUDI cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUDI) in the first 28 days of life referred to a Coronial Perinatal Forensic Pathology Service over a 10-year period from 2000 to 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cases were collected from mortuary records, and a retrospective review of autopsy reports and other available infant records was undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four neonatal SUDI were reviewed. For eight infants, a diagnosis was made at autopsy. For the remaining 16 infants, 14 (87.5%) were bedsharing at the time of death. Maori infants and those living in deprived neighbourhoods were over-represented. Only two infants were preterm, and four were growth-restricted. At post-mortem, white matter gliosis was found in 10 of the 16 (62.5%) unexplained SUDI cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sudden unexpected infant deaths occur in the first month of life in association with bedsharing. Gliosis may be an important associated risk factor, and its presence indicates a previous insult of prenatal onset.
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: May
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zuccollo
mesh_terms: D001513:Beds; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005911:Gliosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*