Fatal fat embolism in acute hepatic necrosis with associated fatty liver

We report two cases of generalized nonviolent hepatogenic fat embolism. A 63-year-old woman was sent to the hospital with suspected mushroom poisoning. Shock symptoms occurred quickly and could not be treated effectively; the patient died 24 h after admission. Postmortem examination showed acute yellow dystrophy of the liver with a severe preexisting fatty liver. Any intoxication including Amanita phalloides could be excluded. In all probability, a fulminant viral hepatitis caused liver dystrophy, and the decay of the fatty liver cells led to generalized fat embolism as the cause of death. The second patient, a 46-year-old man, was reported to have suffered from an acute illness while in prison and died after having been transferred to the local hospital. Histological examinations showed an acute liver dystrophy probably caused by fulminant viral hepatitis with fatty degeneration. In this case, the cause of death was also found to be generalized fat embolism.