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Autopsy

Autopsy Overview

An autopsy is a medical procedure involving the examination of a dead body. An autopsy is sometimes termed an obduction or a post-mortem examination. The word autopsy is derived from the Greek word autopsia, which means "to see with one's own eyes."

Autopsies are performed by pathologists, medical doctors who have received specialty training in the diagnosis of diseases by the examination of body fluids and tissues.

Autopsies are performed for a variety of reasons, including:

to determine the cause of death
to ascertain whether clinical diagnoses are correct
to evaluate the effectiveness of medical or surgical treatment
to gain information for the family about possible inherited or genetic conditions
for teaching and/or research purposes in academic hospitals
to aid in criminal investigations of wrongful death
to provide closure and reassurance for family members who may have questions about diagnoses or treatment

Forensic autopsies are a specialized form of autopsy with legal implications that are performed to determine if a given death was an accident, homicide, suicide, or a natural event.

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CT Scan »

CT Scan Introduction

History

CT was discovered independently by a British engineer named Sir Godfrey Hounsfield and Dr. Alan Cormack. It has become a mainstay for diagnosing medical diseases. For their work, Hounsfield and Cormack were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 1979.

CT scanners first began to be installed in 1974. Currently, 6,000 scanners are in use in the United States. Because of advances in computer technology, CT scanners have vastly improved patient comfort because they are now much faster. These improvements have also led to higher-resolution images, which improve the diagnostic capabilities of the test. For example, the CT scan can show doctors small nodules or tumors, which they cannot see on an x-ray.

Introduction

CT or CAT scans are special x-ray tests that produce cross-sectional images of the body using x-rays and a computer. These images allow the radiologist, a medical doctor who speci...

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