Autopsy pathology storage and coding by microcomputer

Storage and coding of anatomic pathology data usually is accomplished by expensive main frame systems. The authors of this article have developed a microcomputer based program package for autopsy pathology which stores patient demographic data, provisional or final anatomic diagnoses, and coded diagnoses obtained from an on-line Systematized Nomenclature of Pathology (SNOP) code lexicon. The system includes limited text editor functions as well as rapid data retrieval with the generation of final reports. Data files containing SNOP codes and diagnoses are searched easily by a variety of parameters, making data retrieval of autopsy material simple and efficient.