ABSTRACT
Removal of the brain in the fetus, neonate and infant needs to be carried out with particular care. At this stage, the brain is frequently very soft for three reasons: firstly, myelination is poorly advanced; secondly, hypoxic stress may have been present for hours or even days prior to death; and, thirdly, in many fetal deaths, softening attributable to maceration will supervene during the period between death and refrigeration after delivery. In early life the dural membrane is closely applied to the skull and fused with fibrous sutures. The dural folds may be damaged during delivery. All of these factors necessitate a different approach to removal of the developing brain.
