Details
Gender
Age
19 months
Organ System/Discipline
Diagnosis
Chronic ischemic encephalopathy (due to hypoxia)
Clinical History
19 month-old female with perinatal asphyxia. As a result, she had global developmental delay, a seizure disorder, and recurrent pneumonias, from which she ultimately died. At autopsy, the brain weight was 220 g (normal for age is 1042 g).
Case Discussion
Brain injury due to severe oxygen deprivation can lead to pathologic changes throughout the brain. Coronal sections of the brain demonstrate a characteristic gross appearance of bilateral cysts involving both the white and gray matter, termed multicystic encephalopathy. In some cysts, gliovascular bands can be seen. These are characteristic of third trimester or perinatal injury, in contrast to the smooth cysts seen after anoxic injuries which occur earlier in gestation.
Image Contributors
Kolin, D., Hazrati, L.
Cite
Kolin, D., Hazrati, L. Brain, chronic ischemic encephalopathy. Digital Laboratory Medicine Library, Dept of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto. Published
. Accessed December 17, 2025. https://dev.dlml.cflabs.ca/image/brain-chronic-ischemic-encephalopathy-lmp84919