The value of radiography in perinatal deaths

A prospective study of 100 consecutive stillbirths/perinatal deaths was performed by routine radiography and subsequent autopsy. The object of the study was to correlate the clinical and the autopsy causes of death with any abnormal radiographic findings. A prime objective was to study the incidence of major skeletal abnormalities in the series and to ascertain if routine radiography could be used to detect abnormalities that might require genetic counselling. No skeletal abnormalities or dysplasias were detected that did not have obvious external stigmata. The use of routine radiography on undeformed stillbirths is not recommended.