Skip to main content
PMC home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
. 2004 Jul;89(4):F285–F288. doi: 10.1136/adc.2003.022483

Investigating perinatal death: a review of the options when autopsy consent is refused

C Wright, R Lee
PMCID: PMC1721727  PMID: 15210656

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (59.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Avrahami R., Watemberg S., Hiss Y., Deutsch A. A. Laparoscopic vs conventional autopsy. A promising perspective. Arch Surg. 1995 Apr;130(4):407–409. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1995.01430040069014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Avrahami R., Watemberg S., Hiss Y. Thoracoscopy vs conventional autopsy of the thorax. A promising perspective. Arch Surg. 1995 Sep;130(9):956–958. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1995.01430090042016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bisset R. A. L., Thomas N. B., Turnbull I. W., Lee S. Postmortem examinations using magnetic resonance imaging: four year review of a working service. BMJ. 2002 Jun 15;324(7351):1423–1424. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7351.1423. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brookes J. A., Deng J., Wilkinson I. D., Lees W. R. Three-dimensional imaging of the postmortem fetus by MRI: early experience. Fetal Diagn Ther. 1999 May-Jun;14(3):166–171. doi: 10.1159/000020912. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brookes J. A., Hall-Craggs M. A., Sams V. R., Lees W. R. Non-invasive perinatal necropsy by magnetic resonance imaging. Lancet. 1996 Oct 26;348(9035):1139–1141. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)02287-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cacchione R. N., Sayad P., Pecoraro A. M., Ferzli G. S. Laparoscopic autopsies. Surg Endosc. 2001 Mar 13;15(6):619–622. doi: 10.1007/s004640000308. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chiswick M. Perinatal and infant postmortem examination. BMJ. 1995 Jan 21;310(6973):141–142. doi: 10.1136/bmj.310.6973.141. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cremin B. J., Draper R. The value of radiography in perinatal deaths. Pediatr Radiol. 1981;11(3):143–146. doi: 10.1007/BF00971816. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Deng J., Brookes J. A., Gardener J. E., Rodeck C. H., Lees W. R. Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of the postmortem fetal heart. Fetal Diagn Ther. 1996 Nov-Dec;11(6):417–421. doi: 10.1159/000264358. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fariña Juliana, Millana Concepción, Fdez-Aceñero M. Jesús, Furió Vicente, Aragoncillo Paloma, Martín Victorino G., Buencuerpo Jerónimo. Ultrasonographic autopsy (echopsy): a new autopsy technique. Virchows Arch. 2002 Jan 31;440(6):635–639. doi: 10.1007/s00428-002-0607-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Foote G. A., Wilson A. J., Stewart J. H. Perinatal post-mortem radiography--experience with 2500 cases. Br J Radiol. 1978 May;51(605):351–356. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-51-605-351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Foroudi F., Cheung K., Duflou J. A comparison of the needle biopsy post mortem with the conventional autopsy. Pathology. 1995 Jan;27(1):79–82. doi: 10.1080/00313029500169532. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Furness M. E., Weckert R. C., Parker S. A., Knowles S. Ultrasound in the perinatal necropsy. J Med Genet. 1989 Jun;26(6):368–372. doi: 10.1136/jmg.26.6.368. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gordijn Sanne J., Erwich Jan Jaap H. M., Khong T. Yee. Value of the perinatal autopsy: critique. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2002 Sep 4;5(5):480–488. doi: 10.1007/s10024-002-0008-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Griscom N. T., Driscoll S. G. Radiography of stillborn fetuses and infants dying at birth. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1980 Mar;134(3):485–489. doi: 10.2214/ajr.134.3.485. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Grønvall J., Graem N. Radiography in post-mortem examinations of fetuses and neonates. Findings on plain films and at arteriography. APMIS. 1989 Mar;97(3):274–280. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1989.tb00788.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Hawass N. E., al-Badawi M. G., Fatani J. A., Meshari A. A., Edrees Y. B., Jabbar F. A. Fetal necrogram: a new technique. Experience with 12,000 contrast examinations. Invest Radiol. 1989 Sep;24(9):711–720. doi: 10.1097/00004424-198909000-00012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Huisman Thierry A. G. M., Wisser Josef, Stallmach Thomas, Krestin Gabriel P., Huch Renate, Kubik-Huch Rahel A. MR autopsy in fetuses. Fetal Diagn Ther. 2002 Jan-Feb;17(1):58–64. doi: 10.1159/000048008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Huston B. M., Malouf N. N., Azar H. A. Percutaneous needle autopsy sampling. Mod Pathol. 1996 Dec;9(12):1101–1107. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kalifa G., Barbet J. P., Labbe F., Houette A., Sellier N. Value of systematic post mortem radiographic examinations of fetuses--400 cases. Pediatr Radiol. 1989;19(2):111–113. doi: 10.1007/BF02387898. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Leonard J. V., Morris A. A. Inborn errors of metabolism around time of birth. Lancet. 2000 Aug 12;356(9229):583–587. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(00)02591-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Olsen E Ø E., Espeland A., Maartmann-Moe H., Lachman R. S., Rosendahl K. Diagnostic value of radiography in cases of perinatal death: a population based study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2003 Nov;88(6):F521–F524. doi: 10.1136/fn.88.6.F521. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Olsen Øystein E., Lie Rolv T., Lachman Ralph S., Maartmann-Moe Helga, Rosendahl Karen. Ossification sequence in infants who die during the perinatal period: population-based references. Radiology. 2002 Oct;225(1):240–244. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2251011130. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Olsen Øystein E., Lie Rolv T., Maartmann-Moe Helga, Pirhonen Jouko, Lachman Ralph S., Rosendahl Karen. Skeletal measurements among infants who die during the perinatal period: new population-based reference. Pediatr Radiol. 2002 Jul 26;32(9):667–673. doi: 10.1007/s00247-001-0627-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Patriquin L., Kassarjian A., Barish M., Casserley L., O'Brien M., Andry C., Eustace S. Postmortem whole-body magnetic resonance imaging as an adjunct to autopsy: preliminary clinical experience. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2001 Feb;13(2):277–287. doi: 10.1002/1522-2586(200102)13:2<277::aid-jmri1040>3.0.co;2-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Richter E. Postmortem angiocardiography in newborn infants with congenital malformation of the heart and great vessels. Pediatr Radiol. 1976 Apr 14;4(3):133–138. doi: 10.1007/BF00975344. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Ros P. R., Li K. C., Vo P., Baer H., Staab E. V. Preautopsy magnetic resonance imaging: initial experience. Magn Reson Imaging. 1990;8(3):303–308. doi: 10.1016/0730-725x(90)90103-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Russell G. A., Berry P. J. Post mortem radiology in children with congenital heart disease. J Clin Pathol. 1988 Aug;41(8):830–836. doi: 10.1136/jcp.41.8.830. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Ryan J., Kozlowski K. Radiography of stillborn infants. Australas Radiol. 1971 Aug;15(3):213–226. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1673.1971.tb01267.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Seppänen U. Perinatal postmortem radiography. Acta Radiol Diagn (Stockh) 1986 Sep-Oct;27(5):481–494. doi: 10.1177/028418518602700501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Stempflé N., Huten Y., Fondacci C., Lang T., Hassan M., Nessmann C. Fetal bone age revisited: proposal of a new radiographic score. Pediatr Radiol. 1995;25(7):551–555. doi: 10.1007/BF02015793. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Turner J., Raphael B. Requesting necropsies. BMJ. 1997 May 24;314(7093):1499–1500. doi: 10.1136/bmj.314.7093.1499. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Underwood J. C., Slater D. N., Parsons M. A. The needle necropsy. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1983 May 21;286(6378):1632–1634. doi: 10.1136/bmj.286.6378.1632. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Winter R. M., Sandin B. M., Mitchell R. A., Price A. B. The radiology of stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1984 Aug;91(8):762–765. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1984.tb04846.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Woodward P. J., Sohaey R., Harris D. P., Jackson G. M., Klatt E. C., Alexander A. L., Kennedy A. Postmortem fetal MR imaging: comparison with findings at autopsy. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1997 Jan;168(1):41–46. doi: 10.2214/ajr.168.1.8976917. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. de la Fuente A. A., Dornseiffen G., van Noort G., Laurini R. N. Routine perinatal postmortem radiography in a peripheral pathology laboratory. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol. 1988;413(6):513–519. doi: 10.1007/BF00750392. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. van der Harten H. J., Brons J. T., Schipper N. W., Dijkstra P. F., Meijer C. J., van Geijn H. P. The prenatal development of the normal human skeleton: a combined ultrasonographic and post-mortem radiographic study. Pediatr Radiol. 1990;21(1):52–56. doi: 10.1007/BF02010816. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal Edition are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES