[Usefulness of rapid cytological diagnosis at autopsy]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of rapid cytological examinations at autopsy. Rapid cytological diagnosis was performed for nine cases at autopsy using Papanicolaou and/or Giemsa staining. Material was obtained by imprint or needle-aspiration. Among 9 cases, 5 cases were sarcoma, 3 cases carcinoma and 1 case infectious disease. All cases were reported to the physicians during autopsies. Precise medical informations including rapid cytological examination were informed immediately to bereaved family members. The present study showed that rapid cytological examination in conjunction with autopsy is an easy procedure and is not only useful in the concrete diagnosis of death by unknown causes but also helpful in deciding appropriate management of materials for the next steps such as electron microscope diagnosis.