Reviewed causes of death in 145 perinatal autopsies at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital during October 2002 to December 2006

Abstract

Objective : To evaluate cause of death in perinatal autopsies

Design : Retrospective descriptive study

Setting : Department of Pathology, King Chulalongkorn Memeorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.

Materials and Methods : One-hundred and forty-five perinatal autopsies from October 2002 to December 2006 were recruited under criteria.

Results : Most causes of death were congenital anomaly (36.6%), placental or cord pathology (23.4%) unexplained causes (17.9%>) and other explicable causes (17.2%1). The most common systemic congenital anomaly was cardiovascular system (23.5%).

Conclusions : Perinatal death is an important problem for parents who have lost their babies. Perinatal autopsy has a momentous role. The most common cause of death is congenital anomaly. About 82.1% of the autopsies can demonstrate the problem, wherease the others cannot due to severe maceration.