Diagnostic value of radiography in cases of perinatal death: a population based study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the yield of radiographic abnormalities in a population based set of perinatal deaths, the diagnostic value of whole body postmortem radiographs in the same set, and previous factors that may increase the proportion of useful examinations.


METHODS
Retrospective population based study.


METHODS
A region of Norway.


METHODS
All infants from a well defined geographical area who were stillborn or had died soon after birth over an 11 year period (n=542), who had routinely undergone whole body radiography and autopsy.


METHODS
(a) Proportion of cases with abnormal radiographic findings. (b) Proportion of abnormal radiographs providing new information that was useful for postmortem diagnosis.


RESULTS
Radiographs were abnormal in 162/542 cases (30%). These provided new information about, but did not help to confirm, the pathological process leading to death in 14/162 (8.6%), may have helped to confirm, but not establish, the cause(s) of death in 1/162 (0.6%), and were of vital importance for establishing the cause(s) of death in 5/162 (3.1%). Among infants with external malformations, the proportion of useful radiographs was 12/100 (12%), and among the remainder it was 8/436 (1.8%), a difference of 10.2% (95% confidence interval 3.7% to 16.7%; data missing for six cases).


CONCLUSIONS
The diagnostic value of postmortem radiography in this population based set was low. However, radiographic findings were of vital importance for establishing the cause(s) of death in 5/542 cases (0.9%).
Olsen  E
Ø E
ØE
Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. oeol@start.no
Espeland
A
A
Maartmann-Moe
H
H
Lachman
R S
RS
Rosendahl
K
K
D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies