Disseminated intravascular coagulation in infancy and in the neonate. Ocular findings

J. M. Ortiz, M. Yanoff, J. D. Cameron and D. Schaffer

We report two cases of neonatal disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). One case is associated with placenta previa and respiratory distress, and the other shows hemorrhage with Gram-negative sepsis. In both cases, results of autopsy show microscopic confirmation of DIC in several body tissues. One pair of eyes demonstrates intraocular hemorrhages and intravascular fibrin in the choriocapillaris (a typical manifestation) and intravascular fibrin in the ciliary body vessels of one eye. In addition, the other pair of eyes shows involvement of iris vessels, a unique finding, as is intraretinal intravascular fibrin in one eye of the same patient.