Cerebral tissue pulmonary embolism after severe head trauma in an infant.

Cerebral tissue pulmonary embolism (CTPE) is a very rare complication of severe head trauma. Nearly 20 cases of CTPE have been reported in neonates after birth trauma and even fewer cases in children and adults. We report a 4-month-old infant boy who sustained severe head trauma when he was accidentally dropped by his stepfather. Autopsy revealed multiple skull fractures, dural venous sinus laceration, subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages, and brain maceration and extrusion. Microscopically, there was widespread embolism of brain tissue in medium- to small-sized pulmonary arteries.