Postmortem CT is more accurate than clinical diagnosis for identifying the immediate cause of death in hospitalized patients: a prospective autopsy-based study.

ABSTRACT: Despite 75 to 90 % physician accuracy in determining the underlying cause of death, precision of determination of the immediate cause of death is approximately 40 %. In contrast, two thirds of immediate causes of death in hospitalized patients are correctly diagnosed by postmortem computed tomography (CT). Postmortem CT might provide an alternative approach to verifying the immediate cause of death. To evaluate the effectiveness of postmortem CT as an alternative method to determine the immediate cause of death in hospitalized patients, an autopsy-based prospective study was performed. Of 563 deaths from September 2011 to August 2013, 50 consecutive cadavers undergoing hospital autopsies with consent for additional postmortem CT at the University of Fukui were enrolled. The accuracy of det

SUBMITTER: Inai K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4923108 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature