Autopsy

Autopsy is a part of pathology.

External exam

Is very important in the forensic context.

External exam findings are found in the forensic pathology article.

Internal exam

Is usually where the money is in non-forensic autopsies, i.e. hospital autopsies.

Spleen

Main article: Spleen

Sugar-coated spleen

• Properly referred to as hyaloserositis of the spleen.
• Capsule of the spleen is white - resembles sugar-coating.
• Importance: none - benign.

Liver

• Portal vein patency.

Kidney

Size of the kidney - small kidneys are seen in chronic renal failure.

Nephrosclerosis

• Flea-bitten appearance - seen in hypertension.

ATN

• ATN is difficult to prove on autopsy material.
• Look for:
  • Heme-granular casts in the lumen.
  • Regenerative activity (mitoses).

Brain

• One should saw through the skull completely, i.e. one should not "crack" the skull open with a chisel.
  • Cracking open the skull may result in artefactual fractures that are impossible to differentiate from antemortem fractures.
  • Cuts into the brain (from opening the skull) are not difficult to distinguish from antemortem injuries.

Weird stuff

• Methylene blue, used for refractory shock, turns organs green.

• Leukostasis in acute myelogenous leukemia can lead to congestion of organs and fatal haemorrhages.

• Hyperviscosity syndrome - in leukemia.

Todo

• Normal organ mass.

See also

• Fetal autopsy.
• Forensic pathology.