[Analysis of autopsy cases in 50 years].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the changing rate for autopsy and the reason during 50 years, and to study the disagreement between pathological and clinical diagnosis in 3162 autopsy cases.


METHODS
To retrospectively analyses 3162 autopsy cases in School of Medicine of Zhejiang University from 1950 to 1999.


RESULTS
(1) The most autopsy cases is 1037 cases during 1960 - 1970, while the lowest is 102 cases during 1990 - 1999. (2) The total clinical mis-diagnosis rate is 36.24%, while the highest one is 43.19% in 1970 - 1979 group, and 41.80% in 1990 - 1999; The highest diagnostic inaccuracy rate is for tumor (62.42%), second circulation disease (61.81%), third parasitic disease (49.18%); Invasive fungal infection rate in 3162 autopsy is 2.28%, while the diagnostic inaccuracy rate is as high as 86.10%. (3) In disease spectrum, the common diseases are respiratory disease (32.29%), infectious disease (11.61%) and digestive disease (11.07%) respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The autopsy rate was decreased gradually over 50 years, while the diagnostic inaccuracy rate is still high.
Zhu
Ke-qing
KQ
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310031, China. zhukeqing@yahoo.com
Zhang
Suo-jiang
SJ
D001344:Autopsy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors