Sudden intrauterine unexplained death syndrome (SIUDS) is mainly caused by placental dysmaturity

Purpose: Several clinical risk factors of sudden intrauterine unexplained death syndrome (SIUDS) in late pregnancy have gained attention in the last years. The knowledge about the caused of SIUDS, determined by autopsy is limited. Methods: Fetuses with clinically unexplained intrauterine death were obtained from the files of the Institute of Pathology, Dept. of Perinatal- & Gynecologic Pathology of the Univeristy of Leipzig to determine the causes of intrauterine death. Results: Out of 51 cases twelve cases fulfilled the criteria of SIUDS >30th weeks of gestation without any known clinical risk factors for intra…