Perinatal autopsy evaluation of 2150 autopsies in the Çukurova region of Turkey.

OBJECTIVE We aimed to document the reasons of perinatal deaths in a large autopsy series performed in our institute, which is a reference center in the Çukurova region of Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHOD The study included 2150 autopsies performed between January 2000 and December 2012 at our institute. Diagnoses were categorized according to the detected pathologies; congenital malformations were detailed based on systems. RESULTS A pathology was detected in 1619 of 2150 (73.3%) autopsies. Congenital malformations were the most common diagnosis with 68.2%. Neural tube defects and central nervous system malformations were the most frequent system malformation in 28.8% of cases, followed by the urogenital system (11.4%) and musculoskeletal system (8.3%), respectively. Malformation syndromes including multisystem anomalies were defined in 109 cases (9.3%). CONCLUSION Congenital malformations are the most common reason for perinatal deaths, with autopsy having an additive role to prenatal and genetic evaluations and providing foresight for planning a subsequent pregnancy.