[Advantages of ENT-specialty-specific autopsy technique]

At routinely performed autopsies as described by Hamperl in 1956, ENT-specific regions such as the naso- and mesopharynx usually remain untouched. However, in cases with pathological changes in these regions a topographical preparation is necessary. Moreover, there is great interest among ENT-surgeons for studying the pathology of this area and to practice endoscopic and microscopic operation techniques. In close cooperation with the pathologists at RWTH clinic, we re-examined and refined further an ENT-specific dissection technique that was first described by Gräff in 1932. It allows a complete en bloc resection of all ENT-relevant organs without disfiguring the body. It also provides an optimal anatomical overview and gives insight into interrelations of morphological findings (thus improving post-mortem diagnosis), as well as allows the possibility for practicing operative techniques apart from the corpse.