Autopsy

Postmortem Examination

Risks

There are no risks from the actual autopsy. But an autopsy may uncover the effects of habits or diseases that people close to the deceased person did not know about. For example, the pathologist may find cancer during the autopsy, or examination of the liver may show cirrhosis, which can occur from the overuse of alcohol.

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Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: October 16, 2008
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Corinne L. Fligner, MD - Anatomic Pathology
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