BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of the autopsy for quality improvement, autopsy rates have declined dramatically in recent decades due to poor acceptance by families and physicians and high costs to institutions. PURPOSE: To compare postmortem imaging (PMI) with autopsy in @entity1 with @entity4297 to see if PMI could substitute in some or all cases and to compare costs of the two methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten @entity1 with @entity299 dying in hospital during the study period in whom an autopsy was planned underwent PMI using postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (PMMRI) (6 @entity1 ) and postmortem computed tomographic angiography (PMCTA) (10 @entity1 ) with permission of the family. Four @entity1 were excluded from PMMR because of metal ECMO cannulas. PMI was interpreted before autopsy using an organ system checklist and results compared to autopsy. The costs of each method were tracked. RESULTS: When both PMMR and PMCTA were performed the PMI findings corresponded closely with autopsy. PMI correctly diagnosed the principal @entity299 in all six cases and correctly imaged central vessels, @entity340 and chambers, brain, abdominal organs, and bone. Weak points were visualization of the coronary arteries and distinguishing @entity891 from lung pathology. The cause of @entity204 by PMI matched autopsy findings in 5/6 cases in which both PMMR and PMCTA were performed and was incomplete in the other five cases. The cost of PMI was about 15% lower than the cost of autopsy. CONCLUSION: PMI provided most gross anatomic cardiac diagnoses available by autopsy in our series of @entity1 with @entity4297 and the cost appears to be lower.

Postmortem imaging in XXXX : preliminary experience.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity891 :: ('MESH:D001261', 'Disease') :: ['postmortem pulmonary atelectasis'] @entity299 :: ('MESH:D006331', 'Disease') :: ['heart defects', 'congenital heart disease'] @entity340 :: ('MESH:D006349', 'Disease') :: ['heart valves'] @entity204 :: ('MESH:D003643', 'Disease') :: ['death'] @entity4297 :: ('MESH:D006330', 'Disease') :: ['congenital heart defects']
@entity299 :: (MESH:D006331,Disease) :: ['congenital heart disease']
