Use of cytology as an auxiliary diagnostic tool in autopsies

Abstract

Cytology showed a good correlation with histology, particularly for neoplastic cases and specimens with minimal pathological alterations, and could be used as an alternative diagnostic method in partial or restricted postmortem examinations. Cancer Cytopathol 2016;124:785-90. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Cytology as a diagnostic tool in the autopsy suite

“…As a physician who has worked for more than 20 years as both a cytopathologist and an autopsy pathologist for an institution that pioneered the use of the decedent affairs office and places great value on the autopsy, it is a pleasure to see articles that tout the value of cytodiagnosis in the autopsy suite. Andrade et al provide evidence showing that postmortem tissue scrapings have reasonable accuracy in comparison with histology, and they suggest the use of scraping cytology as a means of performing a minimally invasive autopsy. A recent editorial supports the use of cytology in providing rapid and more comprehensive provisional reports .…”

“…Although cytodiagnosis in the autopsy suite is underused and at least 1 autopsy textbook states that “cytologic examination has little use in standard autopsy practice,” several authors have now attested that cytodiagnostic techniques have considerable value in the autopsy suite …”

“…Declining autopsy rates are an indisputable fact, and Andrade et al cite a few of the reasons for this trend. Others reasons for the decrease in autopsy rates include the widespread use of antemortem imaging, blood tests, biopsies, and cytology, which leads to the sometimes incorrect assumption that the cause of death is already known and that an autopsy is thus redundant and unnecessary .…”

“…Postmortem diagnosis by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and endoscopy has been attempted . Intracorporeal gas can interfere with postmortem tissue imaging by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasonography .…”

Cancer Cytopathology: 20 years of advancing the field of pancreaticobiliary cytopathology

“…FNA cytology has revolutionized the diagnosis of mass lesions, not only in the pancreas but from all over the body by making tissue acquisition minimally invasive, fast, safe, and cost‐effective. Even autopsies can be performed using FNA, which can be enormously helpful in limited and restricted cases . The use of cytology specimens for definitive patient care and entry into clinical trials in not consistent throughout the country, but that will surely change in the next 20 years.…”