Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans
Published on: December 18, 2016
Pathology Results at Autopsy in Brain-Dead Patients with Brain Tumors
Farahnaz Sadegh Beigee1, Shagin Shahryari, Meysam Mojtabaee
1Lung Transplantation Research Center, Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objectives:
Brain tumors are the most challenging causes of brain deaths due to the lack of pathology results in many cases. It is not uncommon to find a brain tumor in a brain-dead patient with no pathology results or neuroradiology reports available; this would exclude the deceased from organ donation. The mortality that occurs while patients are on transplant wait lists motivated us to find a solution to prevent losing brain-dead patients as potential donors. We present our experiences in autopsy examinations of brain tumors and the results of frozen-section pathology.
Materials And Methods:
We performed autopsy examinations of 8 brain-dead patients who were suspected of having highly malignant brain tumors and in whom there were no pathology or radiology reports available. The autopsy process began at the conclusion of organ retrieval. First, we performed a complete brain dissection; the tumor was then removed with its adjacent brain tissue and sent for examination by an expert pathologist. Organ transplant was deferred until the pathology examination was completed.
Results:
Organ transplant was cancelled if the frozen sections revealed a high-grade tumor. For all other results, the transplant was performed. If a medulloblastoma was confirmed, only the heart was transplanted. The duration of the delay for pathologic examination was 30 to 45 minutes. A total of 21 organs were donated that would otherwise have been rejected.
Conclusions:
It is worth performing an autopsy and frozen-section pathology examination to prevent losing potential organs from donors with brain tumors who are suspected of having a high-grade neoplasm but have no pathology or neuroradiology reports. This process is simple and has the potential to save lives.
Insights
Autopsies with frozen-section pathology can identify brain tumors in deceased donors, preventing the loss of valuable organs for transplantation. This rapid examination allows for timely organ donation decisions, saving lives.
Area of Science:
- Neuropathology
- Transplant Surgery
- Oncology
Background:
- Brain tumors are a significant challenge in brain deaths, often leading to exclusion from organ donation due to unavailable pathology reports.
- The high mortality rate among patients on transplant waitlists necessitates maximizing the donor pool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of autopsy and frozen-section pathology in identifying brain tumors in deceased organ donors.
- To prevent the loss of potential donor organs due to undiagnosed brain tumors.
Main Methods:
- Autopsy examinations were conducted on 8 brain-dead patients with suspected malignant brain tumors and no prior reports.
- Brain dissection and tumor removal for expert frozen-section pathology preceded organ transplant decisions.
- Transplant was deferred pending pathology results.
Main Results:
- Frozen sections identified high-grade tumors, leading to transplant cancellation in relevant cases.
- Medulloblastoma diagnosis resulted in heart-only transplantation.
- Pathology examination caused a 30-45 minute delay, enabling the donation of 21 organs that would have otherwise been rejected.
Conclusions:
- Autopsy and frozen-section pathology are valuable for identifying brain tumors in potential organ donors.
- This simple procedure prevents the loss of viable organs and has the potential to save lives by expanding donor availability.
