Front Med (Lausanne). 2026 Jul 23;13:1884301. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1884301. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A global decline in the number of clinical post-mortems sought and conducted indicates a diminishing necessity for post-mortem exams. Notwithstanding advancements in medical technology, autopsies continue to serve as a pertinent method for ascertaining the cause of death.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify prevalent major misdiagnoses in clinical settings through autopsy and to investigate potential contributing factors.
METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, including 51 autopsies retrieved from the NHLS Laboratory Information System (LIS) and classified as either Class I or Class II discrepancies according to the Goldman criteria. Stata-18 was used to analyse descriptive data and examine the associations between clinicopathological factors and the major discrepancy classes.
RESULTS: Of the 51 autopsies included in the study, 68.63% (n = 35) were female in contrast to 31.37% (n = 16) of males, with a mean death age of 39.3 years. A total of 88.24% (n = 45) of the cases were classified as Class I discrepancies, and 11.76% (n = 6) were Class II. There was no evidence of an association between discrepancies and age, sex and disease type. However, autopsy diagnosis showed a statistically significant association with Class I discrepancies (p ≤ 0.05) accounted for the largest proportion of misdiagnoses, with pulmonary disease being the most frequently misdiagnosed condition at 44.44% (n = 20).
CONCLUSIONS: Autopsies remain a pertinent clinical audit tool despite advances in medical technology. The hospital should provide funds for autopsies and encourage doctors to utilize them as a clinical audit instrument to enhance patient management.
PMID:42564546 | PMC:PMC13444749 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2026.1884301
