Four autopsy cases of neonatal giant cell hepatitis died suddenly and unexpectedly from intracranial hemorrhage.

The authors present four cases of neonatal giant cell hepatitis who died suddenly and unexpectedly from intracranial hemorrhage, autopsied recently at the Tokyo-to Medical Examiner Office. This series consisted of one male and 3 female infants ranging from 37 to 52 days of age. The cause of death of all cases was thought to be massive intracranial hemorrhage. Referring to the connection between intracranial hemorrhage and neonatal giant cell hepatitis, it was assumed that the former must have occurred due to the hemorrhagic tendencies of the latter, superimposing to the hemorrhage at birth trauma of the head. As to the formation of multinucleated giant cell, it is considered to be of degenerative nature of hepatocytes, i.e. the giant cell is formed by fusion of hepatocytes as a result of the disappearance of bile canaliculi, although the etiology of this hepatitis is still unknown.