Tangsermkijsakul Aphinan
From the Subdivision of Forensic Medicine, Thammasat University Hospital, Pathum Thani Province, Thailand.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2016 Mar;37(1):9-13. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000215.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a range of birth defects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most serious form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Infants with FAS are prone to death because of various physical abnormalities. Consequently, infants with FAS may be presented in the medicolegal investigation as a form of sudden unexpected death in infancy. The author reported a 6-month-old male infant who was found dead at home. The history of maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy was obtained. The infant was diagnosed with FAS at the autopsy because he was presented with postnatal growth retardation, multiple facial abnormalities, and abnormal brain structures, which met the criteria of FAS. The cause of death was severe aspiration pneumonia. The purposes of this case report are to show an uncommon manifestation of sudden unexpected death in infancy case for the forensic pathologists and to emphasize on the national healthcare problem.
胎儿酒精谱系障碍是一系列与产前酒精暴露相关的出生缺陷。胎儿酒精综合征（FAS）是胎儿酒精谱系障碍最严重的形式。患有FAS的婴儿由于各种身体异常而容易死亡。因此，患有FAS的婴儿可能在法医学调查中被列为婴儿猝死的一种形式。作者报告了一名在家中被发现死亡的6个月大男婴。获取了母亲孕期饮酒的病史。该婴儿在尸检时被诊断为FAS，因为他出现了出生后生长发育迟缓、多种面部异常和脑结构异常，符合FAS的标准。死因是严重吸入性肺炎。本病例报告的目的是向法医病理学家展示婴儿猝死病例的一种罕见表现，并强调这一国家医疗保健问题。
