Sudden death associated with syndromic craniosynostosis

In this paper we report the autopsy findings of a 7 year old girl who presented with headache, nausea and repeated vomiting and died unexpectedly at home. She had no previous history of major illnesses and no history of epileptic seizures. External examination revealed ocular abnormalities. Internal examination demonstrated severe cerebral edema with tonsillar herniation, premature fusion of the cranial bone sutures, and prominent convolutional markings of the inner table of the skull. Death was due to severe cerebral edema complicating syndromic craniosynostosis. The craniofacial features in this case were in keeping with a diagnosis of Crouzon syndrome which was confirmed by molecular testing of the FGFR2 gene. Crouzon syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by premature fusion of the cranial bone sutures resulting in distinctive malformations of the craniofacial region.