[Brain stem hemorrhage from capillary telangiectasis--a substrate of sudden death from natural causes]

Pontine haematomas because of capillary telangiectasis must be considered a rare condition. This report deals with autopsies of five such cases. In two of these there was rapid loss of consciousness and/or immediate death, as established by circumstantial evidence. These haematomas proved-- in the estimation of the authors--to be lethal. The two other cases had uremia, and the possibility is discussed that these haemorrhages could be a terminal, concomitant feature of this underlying disease. Whatever significance the brain-stem haemorrhages may have, however attention must be given to these morphological findings in cases of sudden natural death. For the forensic investigator it is also important to know that capillary telangiectasis could be the cause of an accident.