Fetal intrathoracic injuries following mild maternal motor vehicle accident

Reported herein are the cases of three infants who were born with serious i ntrathoracic injuries, apparently sustained at the time of the mother's inv olvement in a motor vehicle accident. The accidents occurred at 26th, 29th and 36th weeks of pregnancy and resulted in minimal mal injuries to the mot hers themselves. The infants were born four weeks, three hours and two days later, respectively. Their injuries were manifested (singly) by hemothorax , pneumothorax and contusion of lung, the latter in a setting of multi-orga n trauma. We suggest that chest x-ray, in addition to brain ultrasound, be routinely included in the evaluation of neonates whose mothers were involve d in a motor vehicle accident during pregnancy, not excluding cases wherein the mother's injuries were negligible or inapparent and regardless of the time elapsed between accident and delivery.