Herbst Jonathon, Langlois Neil E I
Forensic Science South Australia, 21 Divett Place, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2010 Mar;6(1):54-7. doi: 10.1007/s12024-009-9135-3.
The principle causes of infant death are natural causes [including the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)]. Natural deaths in infants are principally due to infections, cardiovascular anomalies and other metabolic or genetic disorders. Gastrointestinal pathology including anomalies may also cause death in this age group. This case describes a 6 month old boy who had undergone repair of a diaphragmatic hernia when aged 2 days, but who subsequently died as a result of a mesenteric abnormality with torsion of the gut and a large fibrous walled bowel containing hernial sac in the left pleural cavity.
