Thrombi in the hepatic sinusoids of the newborn and their relation to pulmonary hyaline membrane formation.

An increase in the degree of fatty change of the liver was found by Benitez (1952) in babies who had aspirated vernix caseosa or who had pulmonary hyaline membranes, but little else has been recorded about hepatic lesions in such cases. The observation of small thrombi in the sinusoids of the livers of babies with hyaline membranes was thus of interest; the investigation reported in this paper was undertaken to determine the general incidence of such sinusoidal thrombi in stillbirths and in babies dying in the neonatal period, and to examine their relation to pulmonary hyaline membrane formation. In addition, a survey was made of livers taken at autopsy from adult patients, in a smaller proportion of whom similar thrombi are found; Popper and Schaffner (1957) review reports of the occurrence of sinusoidal thrombi in eclampsia, although, as will be shown, these may occur where there is similar circulatory disturbance or focal necrosis of any cause.