EMBOLISM OF FETAL BRAIN-TISSUE TO THE LUNGS AND THE PLACENTA

We describe a case of a 19-year-old G1P0 woman with an unremarkable pr enatal course who presented at term in labor Fetal bradycardia develop ed and forceps were used to deliver a male infant, who was born with A pgar scores of 0 and 0 and could not be resuscitated. Examination at a utopsy revealed no gross evidence of trauma, but on microscopic examin ation of the lungs and the placenta, multiple fetal vessels contained emboli consisting of fragments of fetal cerebellar cortex. Previously reported cases of this rare phenomenon are reviewed and the pathogenes is is discussed.