KERNICTERUS

Abstract

Seven cases of kernict-erus, all associated with erythroblastosis fetalis,are described. In 5 cases the infants were Rh-positive and the mother Rh-negative with anti-Rh agglutinins. In 1 case the erythroblastosis was presumably due to the A factor, and in another, to the Rh" factor. In 5 cases, jaundice appeared during the 1 day of life; postmortem studies disclosed the discoloration to be present most frequently in the hippocampus, basal ganglia, midbrain, medulla and the floor of the 4th ventricle. In 2 cases there was yellow pigment in scattered nerve cells in the hippocampus, basal ganglia, pons, cerebellum and medulla. Extramedullary erythropoiesis was found in the liver and spleen, and there were visceral hemorrhages.