title: Myocardial necrosis and infarction in newborns and infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to investigate the incidence, and underlying associations, of myocardial necrosis occurring in infants undergoing autopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  An autopsy database containing anonymized details of all infant autopsies conducted at Great Ormond Street Hospital between January 1996 and December 2010 was searched to identify all infants with myocardial necrosis. The characteristics of the necrosis and any underlying associations were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Myocardial necrosis was recorded in 187 autopsies out of a total of 1,637 (11.4%), and was localized to the papillary muscles, subendocardial region, or trabeculae in 50.8% of cases. The most common associations were congenital heart disease, perinatal asphyxia, coronary artery abnormalities, or sepsis. Three cases of apparently idiopathic myocardial infarction were identified and are described in detail.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myocardial necrosis is relatively common in infants who die and undergo autopsy, and is most commonly associated with congenital heart disease and perinatal asphyxia. Myocardial infarction can occur in infancy in the absence of any apparent underlying cause: the etiology of these cases is unclear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street, London, WC1N 3JH, UK, A.bamber@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bamber
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pryce
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ashworth
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sebire
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D009336:Necrosis; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors