title: Unexpected infant death due to hypoplastic left heart syndrome: a case report.
abstract: A female infant was found unresponsive at home. The mother alleged that she delivered the baby at home 13 days prior to the death. The mother did not have any prenatal examinations during the pregnancy and the infant was not examined by a doctor until death. The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and the infant's chest showed bilateral breast enlargement. Forensic pathologists may encounter very rare pathological findings with unexpected infant deaths. Some, like HLHS, are serious congenital heart defects related to the cause of death, and others are unique phenomena unrelated to the cause of death such as breast swelling and discharge called "witch's milk." In this case, we observed both findings.
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine, Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashizaki
authors.forename: Kiyotaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriya
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashiyada
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hosokai
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawasumi
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Funayama
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018636:Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications