Myelomeningocele(MMC)is a protrusion of spinal cord contents and meninges through a vertebral defect.Iatrogenic deaths of patients with MMC are rarely encountered in forensic practice.In our case,a 3‑month‑old female ...Myelomeningocele(MMC)is a protrusion of spinal cord contents and meninges through a vertebral defect.Iatrogenic deaths of patients with MMC are rarely encountered in forensic practice.In our case,a 3‑month‑old female was born with a lumbosacral cyst,the size of which had been increasing gradually over age.There was no neurological,orthopedic,or urologic dysfunction.On the day of her death,she received a repetitive and rapid lumbosacral cyst puncture drainage procedure,performed by an illegal medical practitioner.Postmortem autopsy findings confirmed a diagnosis of MMC and the cause of death to be cerebellar tonsillar herniation.This is a pathetic case of preventable infant death.This report suggests that the possibility of MMC should be considered in infants born with a lumbosacral cyst,and aspiration is inadvisable.Besides,forensic autopsy has a valuable role in determining the exact cause of death,identifying,or excluding iatrogenic factors that may be relevant to death following a medical procedure.A final point is that prevention programs should be developed,especially by the health care sectors to reduce such tragedy.展开更多
文摘Myelomeningocele(MMC)is a protrusion of spinal cord contents and meninges through a vertebral defect.Iatrogenic deaths of patients with MMC are rarely encountered in forensic practice.In our case,a 3‑month‑old female was born with a lumbosacral cyst,the size of which had been increasing gradually over age.There was no neurological,orthopedic,or urologic dysfunction.On the day of her death,she received a repetitive and rapid lumbosacral cyst puncture drainage procedure,performed by an illegal medical practitioner.Postmortem autopsy findings confirmed a diagnosis of MMC and the cause of death to be cerebellar tonsillar herniation.This is a pathetic case of preventable infant death.This report suggests that the possibility of MMC should be considered in infants born with a lumbosacral cyst,and aspiration is inadvisable.Besides,forensic autopsy has a valuable role in determining the exact cause of death,identifying,or excluding iatrogenic factors that may be relevant to death following a medical procedure.A final point is that prevention programs should be developed,especially by the health care sectors to reduce such tragedy.
