Sudden Intrauterine Unexpected Fetal Death Syndrome and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

On 26th of April 2012, the “Autonomous Province of Trento” has brought into effect the Law n.31/2006 “Regulations for Diagnostic Post Mortem Investigation in Victims of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Unexpected Fetal Death”, establishing an agreement with the “Lino Rossi” Research Center of the University of Milan. The Law states that all infants suddenly died within the first year of life, suspected of SIDS, and all fetuses died after the 25th week of gestation without any apparent cause, must undergo an anatomopathological examination[1]. We report the results until now obtained, focusing on the neuropathology of reflexogenic sudden perinatal and infant death. The study included 9 Sudden Intrauterine Unexpected Fetal Death Syndrome (SIUDS) (aged 19-40 gestational weeks) and 3 SIDS (aged from 20 hours to 6 months), occurring in the Autonomous Province of Trento (North Italy) in a 2-year period (2011-2012). For each case, all available information about pregnancy, fetal development and delivery and, in cases of infant death, about the environmental and familiar situation where the death occurred, besides information related to the potential risk factors (such as maternal smoking, maternal obesity, feeding, position the baby was last left in), were collected and categorised during post-mortem family interviews. The information sheets were recorded in a dedicated data bank, according to the art. 3 of the Law 31/2006, predisposed by the Autonomous Province of Trento and including two subsections: one for fetal loss and another for infant deaths. After removal two fresh samples of cerebral cortex (0.5-1 cm3 thick) for the genetic and toxicological investigations, respectively, the brainstem and the cerebellum, where the main vital centers are located (cardiorespiratory, arousal, upper digestive tract, etc.),