Subcutaneous Fat Necrosis of the Newborn: Clinical Manifestations in Four Cases

Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn (SFN) is a rare benign neonatal disease of subcutaneous fat tissue, with few cases described in medical literature. The disease affects newborns at term or post-term, with normal general health. We describe four cases, 1 male and 3 female. They all had histories of asphyxia at birth. One of them presented lesions at birth. Three cases appeared skin lesions in 7 to 12 days after birth. The clinical manifestations included multiple indurate, erythematosus plaques and nodules on the back, shoulders, upper arms, buttocks and upper thighs. The lesions were tender with clear edge, smooth surface. Unlike reported in the literature, there were hypocalcaemia in 3 patients.