Abstract

Introduction: Autopsy continues to play a significant role in understanding disease processes and identifying clinically silent pathological lesions that may remain undetected during life. Several of these lesions remain clinically silent throughout life and are detected only during autopsy. The present study was undertaken to evaluate incidental neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions detected on histopathological examination of medicolegal autopsies. Aims and Objectives: 1. To evaluate histopathological lesions detected during autopsy and assess their association with the cause of death. 2. To classify the cause of death according to the various organ systems. 3. To classify the cause of death according to age and gender. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out in the Department of Pathology at a tertiary care centre over a period of one year from February 2024 to January 2025. The study included all the medicolegal autopsy specimens and viscera received for histopathological examination during the study period. A total of 303 cases were evaluated. Representative tissue sections from organs including brain, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys were routinely processed and stained using hematoxylin and eosin stain. Microscopic examination was performed to identify pathological lesions and correlate findings with the clinical and autopsy details. Results: The present study consisted of a series of 303 autopsy cases from the Department of Pathology in a tertiary care hospital conducted over a period of one year. The internal organs of a total of 303 autopsies were sent for histopathological examination. The most commonly involved age group was 30-40 years, with a male preponderance. Neoplastic lesions were identified in 4.95% of cases. Conclusion: This study has contributed valuable insights to the spectrum of both neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions, encompassing incidental as well as clinically significant findings. Routine autopsy histopathology facilitates identification of clinically unsuspected lesions and contributes valuable information regarding disease patterns and cause of death.

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