Gliosis in neonatal SUDI cases

AbstractAim:  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.Conclusion:  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.