Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 24, 2026
Mouse Model of Surgical Uterine Injury and Subsequent Pregnancy Outcomes
Published on: June 27, 2025
Intrauterine fetal death caused by seatbelt injury
Shizuka Yamada1, Koji Nishijima1, Jin Takahashi1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
Objective:
Severe motor vehicle accidents involving pregnant women can result in fetal and neonatal death. We describe a case in which fetal death occurred due to relatively mild seatbelt injuries and present the characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of the placenta.
Case Report:
A 26-year-old primigravid woman at 20 weeks gestation was involved in an automobile accident. Although she suffered only a seatbelt injury, fetal death subsequently occurred. Contrast-enhanced MRI showed the region compressed by the seatbelt as a low-intensity band without enhancement, and serum alpha-fetoprotein and hemoglobin F levels were elevated.
Conclusion:
Careful monitoring, including blood and abdominal examinations, should be performed when pregnant women suffer seatbelt injuries.
Related Concept Videos
01:07Teratogenicity
01:14Fetal Circulation
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...