**8. Summarising the whole infant/foetal autopsy procedure**


CNS examination: if there is suspicion of a CNS malformation (including ventriculomegaly), then examination of posterior fossa structures by posterior approach is advised. One may consider sending the whole central nervous system for neuropathological examination in appropriate cases. This may include sampling of peripheral nervous tissue (nerve root, peripheral nerve, muscle, etc.).


#### *Autopsy in Foetal Infant Deaths DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92673*

Limited autopsy: a situation in which consent for a full autopsy is not given by the legal heirs of the dead body. This limited examination may be of some value for arriving at an opinion. The types of such limited autopsy are:

1.Autopsy limited to one or more body cavities only.


5.Imaging (CT, MRI) alone or in combination with biopsy samples.

6.Specific significant organ systems.

For histological examination, the recommended organs include: thymus, heart (septum and free walls), lungs (right and left, each lobe), liver (both major lobes), pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands, kidneys, muscle, diaphragm, stomach, small and large bowels, larynx/trachea and thyroid. Sometimes samples of bone i.e. ribs including growth plate in stillbirth; long bone (including growth plate), vertebral body and skull mandatory for suspected skeletal dysplasia are required to be taken in specific conditions.

Bacteriology may be helpful when there is amniotic infection. In such cases, lung (swab/tissue) & blood (swab/formal culture) are to taken & sent for further analysis. Other samples may also be required depending upon the history & clinical course of the disease.

Genetic samples: genetic samples do assume importance for detailed study of acquired conditions in the young. Skin, muscle, blood from the heart, placenta, etc. can be sampled. One can consider retention of frozen tissue sample (liver/lung/ other) as further DNA resource.

Virology – Virology samples as indicated by clinical history or macroscopic findings can also be taken & sent for analysis in suspected conditions.

Biochemistry &electron microscopy – Biochemical samples can be considered in cases of fetal akinesia and hydrops feotalis. Fibroblast culture and/or snap frozen liver/muscle for metabolic biochemistry can also be taken if indicated [4].
