Postmortem CT for investigating childhood deaths is increasingly utilised as a noninvasive adjunct or alternative to standard autopsy; however there are no standardised published imaging protocols. This article describes a standardised imaging protocol that has been developed based on current practices of international postmortem imaging practitioners and experts. This recommendation is expected to be useful for postmortem imaging centres wishing to update their existing practices and for those starting paediatric postmortem CT as a new service.

A new task force on postmortem imaging was established at the annual meeting of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) in Graz, Austria, in 2015. The postmortem task force is separate from the child abuse task force as it covers all aspects of fetal, neonatal and non-forensic postmortem imaging. The main focus of the task force is the guidance and standardization of non-radiographic postmortem imaging, particularly postmortem CT and postmortem MRI. This manuscript outlines the starting point of the task force, with a mission statement, outline of current experience, and short- and long-term goals.

Mitochondrial disease can present with a wide range of clinical phenotypes, and knowledge of the clinical spectrum of mitochondrial DNA mutation is constantly expanding. Leigh syndrome (LS) has been reported to be caused by the m.13513G>A mutation in the ND5 subunit of complex I (MT-ND5 m.13513G>A). We present a case of a 12-month-old infant initially diagnosed with tachyarrhythmia requiring defibrillation, subsequent presentation with hypertension and hyponatraemia secondary to renal salt loss and presumed inappropriate ADH secretion. Complex I activity in the muscle tissue was 54%, and mutation load in the muscle and lymphocytes was 50%. This case of Leigh syndrome caused by the m.13513G>A mutation in the ND5 gene illustrates that hyponatraemia due to renal sodium loss and inappropriate ADH secretion and hypertension can be features of this entity in addition to the previously reported cardiomyopathy and WPW-like conduction pattern and that they present additional challenges in diagnosis and management.

Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma is a rare intracranial tumour of childhood that involves the cerebral cortex and the leptomeninges. We report two patients with desmoplastic infantile gangliogliomas and multiple cerebrospinal metastases. To our knowledge, only two similar cases have been reported in the published literature. Pathologically, this rare intracranial tumour shows glial and ganglionic differentiation, accompanied by an extreme desmoplastic reaction. These are low-grade neoplasms that are questionably benign.

Mycotic pulmonary artery aneurysms are rare but potentially fatal complications of infective endocarditis. Three mycotic aneurysms developed in a 22-year-old female patient who had a history of intravenous drug use. She suffered from Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia and infective endocarditis. The patient was managed conservatively with antibiotics. She did not have hemoptysis during a prolonged hospital stay. Several multislice computed tomography examinations were performed to follow these aneurysms over a period of 19 months. The 2 smaller aneurysms had resolved by 9 weeks postdevelopment. The largest aneurysm was stable at 9 weeks and was smaller at 19 months, but it had not yet completely resolved. The literature on this rare condition was reviewed and its prognosis and management were discussed.