title: Foetal autopsy-categories and causes of death.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intrauterine death(IUD)/ Stillbirth forms a major part of perinatal mortality which thereby is a good indicator of pregnancy wastage as well as quality of healthcare available. The key objectives of autopsy examination are to know the cause(s) of death, elucidation of pathogenic mechanism and quality control of clinical management. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalent causes of IUD, thereby taking appropriate measures to prevent them and decrease the perinatal mortality rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 14 cases of IUD received for autopsy in the Department of Pathology over a period of five years. Autopsies were performed as per standard protocol and included full anthropometric profile, external examination, gross and microscopic evaluation of different organs and placenta.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total number of 14 fetal autopsies were performed over a period of 5 years. The causes were broadly classified as fetal, maternal and placental. Placental causes were seen in majority of cases (48.57%) followed by fetal (35.72%) and then maternal (21.42). Most prevalent cause of death was congenital anomalies (28.6%) followed by placental insufficiency (21.4%) and chorioamnionitis (14.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Determination of causes of fetal death would prove beneficial to the clinicians and parents for better management and care in future pregnancies as well as in genetic counseling.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, DMWayanad Institute of Medical Sciences , Naseera Nagar, Mepaddi, Wayanad, Kerala, India .
authors.forename: Uroos
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fatima
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Pathology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, AMU , Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India .
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherwani
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, AMU , Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India .
authors.forename: Tamkin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, AMU , Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India .
authors.forename: Sufian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zaheer
keywords: Autopsy; Causes; Fetus; Intrauterine death/still birth