Cost effectiveness of routine postmortem histology

Abstract

In a retrospective study of the records of 160 necropsies it was found that, according to the clinical and gross necropsy findings, no clinically important abnormality would have been anticipated in 46% of the tissue samples. The estimated annual cost of processing this material alone was £10,500, including the salary of one full time medical laboratory scientific officer (MLSO). Few of the microscopic findings led to a change in diagnosis. It is suggested that unselected postmortem histology is, for diagnostic purposes, not cost effective.