Perinatal mortality classification: an analysis of 112 cases of stillbirth

This was a retrospective cohort analysis of stillbirths that occurred from January 2004 to December 2013 in our institution. We compared Tulip and Wigglesworth classification systems on a cohort of stillbirths and analysed the main differences between these two classifications. In this period, there were 112 stillbirths of a total of 31,758 births (stillbirth rate of 3.5 per 1000 births). There were 99 antepartum deaths and 13 intrapartum deaths. Foetal autopsy was performed in 99 cases and placental histopathological examination in all of the cases. The Wigglesworth found 'unknown' causes in 47 cases and the Tulip classification allocated 33 of these. Fourteen cases remained in the group of 'unknown' causes. Therefore, the Wigglesworth classification of stillbirths results in a higher proportion of unexplained stillbirths. We suggest that the traditional Wigglesworth classification should be substituted by a classification that manages the available information.

Intradural cervical chordoma without bone involvement. Case report

The authors report a unique case of cervical chordoma in a 37-year-old woman without radiological evidence of bone involvement that was found to be totally intradural at surgery. Chordomas that are entirely extrasseous and intradural are extremely rare and in most of the cases described are located near the clivus. This is the first reported case of an intraspinal intradural chordoma.