Was the Hydranencephaly Defense Valid for the Death of a Child?: A Case Report

Abstract

Hydranencephaly is a central nervous system disorder at birth in which brain's cerebral hemispheres are absent and replaced by sacks filled with CSF. The prevalence of hydranencephaly is less than 1 in 10,000 births, with 0.2 percent of children autopsies showing the condition. A case of hydranencephaly is described in this report. This was discovered during the medicolegal autopsy of a newborn male infant who was accidentally found dead in a wastebasket. Presented here are the results of external examination, autopsy, histological, and toxicological findings. The fact that hydranencephaly was the accused mother's sole and most potent defense in proving her innocence was underlined here, since the presence of such an argument was enough to arouse suspicion that it was a case of infanticide committed by the mother.

Keywords

• forensic science
• forensic pathology
• hydranencephaly
• infanticide
• autopsy