Table 3. Causes of Death, Autopsy Data, and Main Neuropathologic Findings.
Subjects# | BW (Grams) | PMD (Hours) | Cause of Death | Main Neuropathologic Findings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 (Dys) | 1,455 | 12 | Natural | No significant neuropathologic findings |
2 (Dys) | N/A | 16 | Natural | Remote infarct in right parieto-occipital region; moderate cerebral artery atherosclerosis |
3 (Dys) | N/A | 3 | Brain ischemic injury | Acute hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, idiopathic SN degeneration |
4 (Dys) | N/A | 16 | Complications of the disorder (multiple falls) | No significant neuropathologic findings |
5 (Dys) | N/A | 20 | Complications of the disorder | Encephalomalacia involving frontal lobes with subarachnoid hematoma due to ruptured berry aneurysm and surgical clip placement, cerebellar cortical degeneration |
6 (Dys) | N/A | 20 | Complications of the disorder | Generalized mild atrophy, arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease |
7 (Dys) | N/A | 16 | Complications of the disorder | Neocortical gyral atrophy, arteriosclerosis with leukomalacia |
8 (Dys) | N/A | 8 | Complications of the disorder | Diffuse brain atrophy, arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease, SN degeneration with LBs in the SN and limbic cortex, AD-type lesions (amyloid neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles) in the hippocampus |
9 (Dys) | N/A | 12 | Natural | Microscopic remote infarct in the left caudate, moderate cerebellar atrophy |
10 (Dys) | N/A | 5 | Septic shock, metabolic acidosis, respiratory failure | Mild cerebral hemispheric atrophy, rare LBs in the SN and LC, mild cerebellar atrophy |
11 (Dys) | N/A | 9 | Complications of the disorder | Amyloid neuritic plaques in the cortex; diffuse LBs in the SN, limbic structures, and cortical regions; incidental cerebellar white matter heterotopia |
12 (Dys) | N/A | 26 | Natural | No significant neuropathologic findings |
13 (Dys) | N/A | 6 | Lung cancer | Metastatic poorly differentiated carcinoma in the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem |
14 (C) | 1,309 | 6 | Cardiac arrest | Small cystic infarcts in the left parieto-occipital and frontal lobes |
15 (C) | N/A | 13 | Peritonitis | No significant neuropathologic findings |
16 (C) | N/A | 8 | Atherosclerosis-Cardiovascular disease | No significant neuropathologic findings |
17 (C) | N/A | 17 | Multiple traumatic injuries | No significant neuropathologic findings |
18 (C) | 1,260 | 16 | Coronary artery atherosclerosis and thrombosis | Acute hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in hippocampus |
19 (C) | N/A | 3 | Complications of cancer | No significant neuropathologic findings |
20 (C) | N/A | 8 | Congestive heart failure | No significant neuropathologic findings |
21 (C) | N/A | 20 | Acute cerebrovascular disease | No significant neuropathologic findings |
22 (C) | N/A | 3 | Acute cerebrovascular disease | Mild to moderate atheromatosis of the circle of Willis, arteriosclerosis of the middle- and small-sized intraparenchymal arteries, microinfarct in the right Sommer's sector (cornu ammonis 1 of the hippocampus) |
23 (C) | N/A | 5 | COPD, peripheral vascular disease | No significant neuropathologic findings |
24 (C) | N/A | 16 | Cardiac arrest | Brain edema |
25 (C) | N/A | 5 | Pulmonary thromboembolism | No significant neuropathologic findings |
26 (C) | N/A | 15 | Respiratory distress | No significant neuropathologic findings |
Abbreviations: AD, Alzheimer's Disease; BW, Brain Weight; C, Control; COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Dys, Dystonia; LB, Lewy Body; LC, Locus Coeruleus; N/A, Not Applicable; PMD, Postmortem Delay; SN, Substantia Nigra.