AUTOPSIES WITH UNSATISFACTORY RESULTS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 112  (3) , 75-82
Abstract
Autopsies are intended to provide information about the main disease process and the cause of death and also to disclose relevant secondary findings. A review of 3076 autopsy protocols yielded 113 cases (3.7%) with unsatisfactory results. Of these, 56% constituted a 1st group in which substantial findings concerning the underlying disease or cause of death were absent. Most often they were cases of sudden death: in many others, diseases of obvious duration but uncertain nature were not manifest pathologically. In the 2nd group, representing 44%, morphologic findings contributed by autopsy did little to clarify the clinical picture. Here, the large majority were cancer patients, while other clinical pictures were only rarely left unexplained. In half of all cases the cause of such autopsy failures relates to the limitations of the procedure itself as a method of morphologic examination. In .apprx. 35%, a delayed autopsy, the restricted application of modern investigation methods and, not infrequently, superficial information by the clinician may well play a significant role. The remaining 15% of all cases incorporate all the above-mentioned factors in yielding unsatisfactory results. If justice is to be done to ever-increasing demands, the development of pathology specialties with a corresponding increase in staff cannot be avoided.