Autopsy

Postmortem Examination

Risks

There are no risks from the actual autopsy. However, 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:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: January 17, 2007
Medical Review:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Corinne L. Fligner, MD - Anatomic Pathology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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