Perinatal autopsy: its clinical value.

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Medicine
• Pathology
• Medical Genetics

Background:

• Perinatal mortality remains a significant concern.
• Accurate determination of the cause of death is crucial for clinical management and genetic counseling.
• Clinical diagnoses may not always reflect the true cause of death in perinatal cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical value of routine autopsies in perinatal deaths.
• To compare clinically assigned causes of death with autopsy findings.
• To assess the role of autopsy in identifying the need for genetic counseling.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 172 sequential perinatal death cases.
• Comparison of clinical diagnoses with autopsy results in 139 autopsied cases (52 fetal, 87 neonatal).
• Assessment of autopsy findings for identifying causes of death and genetic counseling needs.

Main Results:

• Autopsies were performed in 81% (139/172) of perinatal deaths.
• Autopsy was the sole means of establishing the cause of death in 26% of cases (9 fetal, 27 neonatal).
• The need for genetic counseling was identified in 62 cases (48%), with autopsy being the sole source of this information in 30 cases.

Conclusions:

• Routine autopsies are invaluable in perinatal medicine, providing definitive causes of death.
• Autopsies correct clinical impressions and are essential for identifying genetic factors requiring counseling.
• Autopsy findings significantly contribute to clinical decision-making and family support in perinatal loss.