Abstract

Aims and objectives: An autopsy or post-mortem (PM) examination, is often followed by a histopathological examination to discover the cause of death or extent of disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the results of histological examinations on lung and liver tissue obtained from autopsy viscera specimens.
Methods: The present cross-sectional study of viscera samples of 38 lungs and 22 liver specimens received in parts in the “Department of Pathology, at a tertiary care hospital”. The cases were reported during a period of six months from July 2020 to December 2020. Gross and microscopic findings of the lungs and liver were studied.
Results: The majority of the lung samples were from autopsies performed on 31 to 45 years of age (36.84%) while the majority of liver samples belong to more than 60 years of age (22.72%). Males were more likely than females to have lung and liver lesions. The most common PM findings in lungs were segmental/lobar consolidations (26.31%) and pulmonary oedema (18.42%) while in liver specimens hepatomegaly (31.81%) was the commonest PM finding. Gross findings of lungs showed that most of the patients’ lungs were firm (13.15%) while the yellowish liver was found in the majority of cases (31.81%) on gross findings. Pneumonia (18.42%) was the most common pathological change found in lung specimens and fatty liver i.e. steatosis (36.36%) was the commonest histopathological finding in liver specimens.
Conclusion: Preventable diseases of the lung and liver are still contributors to the disease process in the modern era of medicine leading to death.

Key words: Autopsy, Histopathology, PM Findings, Pneumonia, Steatosis, Lungs, Liver