title: Radiological diagnosis of gas gangrene in a fetus at term.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report a case of gas gangrene in a fetus at term, which was diagnosed by antenatal computed tomography (CT) imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 23-year-old primiparous woman, who did not undergo any prenatal health checks until term, developed hypertension, proteinuria, and clouding of consciousness, and experienced intrauterine fetal death. A single, mature fetus with voluminous gas bubbles was observed on CT, which was consistent with a diagnosis of fetal gas gangrene. Following the induction of labor, a dead, malodorous infant was delivered, along with foul-smelling and frothy amniotic fluid. The patient's condition deteriorated, and intensive care support was required to treat the patient for septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation during the postpartum period. She died on the 2(nd) postpartum day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetal gas gangrene is a very rare and potentially lethal event in pregnant women. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the antenatal diagnosis of fetal gas gangrene in a term pregnancy through CT. CT was useful for evaluating the extent of emphysematous change in the fetal and maternal organs.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. Electronic address: abekana@md.tsukuba.ac.jp.
authors: Kanako
authors: K
authors: Abe
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors: Hiromi
authors: H
authors: Hamada
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mito Saiseikai General Hospital, Mito, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Fujiki
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors: Moe
authors: M
authors: Iiba
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors: Yuri
authors: Y
authors: Tenjimbayashi
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Yoshikawa
mesh_terms: D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005738:Gas Gangrene / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D066087:Perinatal Death / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D050497:Stillbirth; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anaerobe; computed tomography scan; fetus; gas gangrene; term pregnancy