Ependymal alterations in sudden intrauterine unexplained death and sudden infant death syndrome: possible primary consequence of prenatal exposure to cigarette smoking

Table 1 Distribution of the main ventricular and spinal cord ependymal alterations in SIUD/SIDS and controls

Ependymal alteration	SIUD victims (n = 24)	Control fetal death victims (n = 12)	SIDS victims (n = 30)	Control infant deaths (n = 12)
Morphological features
EP desquamation	9	1	19	3
EP invaginations and nodules in subependymal layer	3	1	16	1
Altered number of EP cells with cilia	12^a	2	14^b	0
Altered number of tanycytes	17^a	0	21^b	2
Altered number of radial glia chains	14^a	0	12^b	0
Neuronal heterotopia	0	0	11	0
Immunohistochemical features
High GFAP-positivity	20	0	18	2
High apoptotic positivity	18	0	13	0

Individual victims may display any combination of these alterations. ^aDecreased number; ^bincreased number.

ISSN: 1749-8104