Precautions When performed for medical reasons, autopsies require formal permission from family members or the legal guardian. During the autopsy, very concise notes and documentation must be made for both medical and legal reasons. Some religious groups prohibit autopsies. An autopsy can be described as the examination of a deceased human body with a detailed exam of the person's remains. At the beginning of the procedure the exterior body is examined and then the internal organs are removed and studied.
Some pathologists argue that more autopsies are performed than necessary.
However, recent studies show that autopsies can detect major findings about a person's condition that were not suspected when the person was alive. And the growing awareness of the influence of genetic factors in disease has also emphasized the importance of autopsies. Despite the usefulness of autopsies, fewer autopsies have been performed in the United States during the past 10-20 years. A possible reason for this decline is concern about malpractice suits on the part of the treating physician. Other possible reasons are that hospitals are performing fewer autopsies because of the expense or because modern technology, such as CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging, can often provide sufficient diagnostic information.