Sudden infant death syndrome and lipoma: the presence of fat tissue in the spinal canal.

An epidural lipoma in the spinal canal in a case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is described. Histologic sections from ten SIDS cases were compared with five controls. It is concluded that there are no indications that an increased amount of fat in the spinal canal plays a role in the pathogenesis of SIDS.