Frequency of Dermatologic Findings at Autopsy

Margaret Cocks, Inbal Sander, Barbara Crain

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A complete academic autopsy includes an external examination with inspection of gross dermatologic findings. At our institution, the postmortem examination also includes a standard skin biopsy. We determined the microscopic yield of this standard postmortem skin biopsy and the overall frequency of macroscopic dermatologic diagnoses. We reviewed 389 complete autopsies conducted between 2012 and 2014. Both microscopic and macroscopic dermatologic diagnoses were analyzed. A macroscopic dermatologic diagnosis was made in 32% of cases while a microscopic diagnosis was recorded in 10% of cases. Dermatologic diagnoses were identified as leading directly to cause of death in 4% of patients and as contributing to death in another 20%. Targeted biopsies were more likely to reveal histologic abnormalities than routine biopsies from a standard anatomic site. Better training in skin gross examination in addition to systematic sampling of both skin lesions and grossly normal skin may improve diagnostic accuracy and enhance clinical pathologic correlations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1867-1869
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Forensic Sciences
Volume63
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2018

Keywords

  • autopsy
  • dermatology
  • forensic dermatopathology
  • forensic science
  • gross examination
  • internal diseases
  • microscopic analysis
  • skin lesions

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Genetics

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