Clinically latent and autopsy-verified inflammatory disorders and malignant tumours in transplant patients

Abstract

AimsThe number of clinical autopsies decreases while the rate of missed relevant diagnoses is known to be 2%–20%. In this study, we focused on postmortem examinations of patients after transplantation of solid organs.MethodsA total of 122 cases were assessed for this study. Transplant organs included liver (LiTx; n=42/122, 34%), heart (n=8/122, 7%), lungs (n=32/122, 26%), kidney (KTx; n=38/122, 31%) and KTx+LiTx (n=2/122, 2%).ResultsThe most frequent autopsy-verified causes of death were cardiac or respiratory failure (together n=85/122, 70%). The frequency of malignant tumours that were identified at autopsy was 5% (n=6/122). In 3% (n=4/122) of cases, Goldman class I discrepancies between clinical diagnosis and autopsy findings were identified.ConclusionsThe rate of missed relevant diagnoses might be relatively low, but these cases nevertheless refute the contention that modern diagnostic techniques negate the need for autopsies in patients who died after transplantation.