Idiopathic arterial calcification in a stillborn complicated by pleural hemorrhage and hydrops fetalis

Abstract

We report a case of idiopathic arterial calcification in a stillborn. As usually noted in this rare entity, the pregnancy was complicated by a polyhydramnios. The postmortem examination showed generalized arterial calcification, periarticular calcific deposits, and a large pleural hemorrhage. The causes of fetal hydrops in idiopathic infantile calcification are discussed, and, in the present case, the absence of myocardial ischemic lesion suggests that the fetal hydrops and the fetal death could have been caused by the bulky blood clot that was present in the right pleural cavity. The pathogenesis remains undetermined, but a primitive inherent defect of the elastic elements seems to initiate this disorder.