The histopathology of a case of hydranencephaly in a 30 week old human fetus.

Kuhlenbeck and Globus ('36) described a case of Arhinencephaly with eversion of the forebrain of an infant four days after birth. Kuhlenbeck, Hafkesbring and Ross ('59) made some observations on a living decorticate hydranencephalic child. Their findings indicated a growth disturbance of the forebrain. Kuhlenbeck, Maher, Ross and Eastwood ('57) made some comments, with anatomical and clinical observations on three cases of hydranencephaly. Lindenberg and Swanson ('67) have reported five cases of infantile hydranencephaly in infancy, in which there were noted infarction of both cerebral hemispheres with softening of the cortex and the subcortical white matter of the cerebral hemispheres. There was noted relative gross preservation of the basal ganglia ; but the globus pallidus and thalami were histologically damaged. There was noted gross preservation of parts of the lower temporal and occipital lobes and the contents of the posterior fossa. Weiss, Young and McFarland ('70) described a case of hydranencephaly of post-natal origin. This child was normal at birth but it developed hydranencephaly in a period of 3 months. They suggested. that this condition is acquired secondary to intrauterine trauma, infection, or hemorrhage. Appenzeller, Snyder and Kornfeld ('70) described two cases of hydranencephaly in which there was noted autonomic failure. Halsey, Allen and Chamberlin ('68) described a chronic decerebrate state in infancy in eleven cases of long surviving cases of hydranencephaly. Halsey, Allen and Chamberlin ('70) stated that hydranencephaly may result from any of a variety of destructive or developmental abnormalities, which may act to produce the defect at any time