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The unexpected finding of a benign mature teratoma in a forensic pathology autopsy: a rare cause for sudden,
Christian Bjerre Høyer1, Benedicte Parm Ulhøi, Annie Vesterby Charles
1From the *Department of Forensic Medicine, Section for Forensic Pathology and Clinical Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aarhus University, and †Institute of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Abstract:
Intracranial teratomas are rare tumors that are usually discovered in infancy due to progressive symptoms. We describe a case of a 38-year-old man who was found dead 9 hours after the last sign of life. The deceased's medical history could not explain the sudden, unexpected death. A forensic autopsy revealed an asymptomatic, mature teratoma in the left frontal and temporal lobes. We concluded that the cause of death must have been a generalized epileptiform seizure originating in the tumor site(s) leading to aspiration of the stomach contents and unfavorable positioning, resulting in asphyxia.
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