Autopsy 2: Evisceration and Dissection

Question 1

explain the Virchow autopsy technique

Answer 1

organs are removed piecemeal (individually)
good for demonstrating pathological change in individual organs but hard to show relationships between organs

Question 2

explain the Ghon autopsy technique

Answer 2

organs are removed en bloc (in groupings)
ex. all urogenital or all abdominal organs

Question 3

explain the Rokitansky autopsy method

Answer 3

organs are removed in situ (where it originated) in one block from neck to rectum

Question 4

explain the Letulle autopsy method

Answer 4

organs are removed en masse (everything together) by area
ex. all thoracic organs, all abdominal organs, etc

Question 5

what is the typical amount of pericardial fluid and what color should it be

Answer 5

15-60 cc’s of straw colored, clear, opaque fluid

Question 6

where is the best place to take a sterile blood culture during autopsy

Answer 6

left atrium

Question 7

what is the ligament of Treitz

Answer 7

formed by a fold of peritoneum over the suspensory muscle of the duodenum
designates the change from duodenum to jejunum

Question 8

which organ is most anterior in the pelvic cavity

Answer 8

bladder

Question 9

what does “left-long” mean

Answer 9

attached vessels, tubes, etc of left organs are left longer when removed to help designate left over right

Question 10

which adrenal gland, left or right, is more crescent shaped

Answer 10

left

Question 11

which adrenal gland, left or right, is more triangular

Answer 11

right

Question 12

where should you open the stomach

Answer 12

along the greater curvature unless there is a tumor

Question 13

what is the white and red pulp of the spleen called

Answer 13

malphigian corpuscles

Question 14

what is average weight of a right lung

Answer 14

475 g

Question 15

what is the average weight of a left lung

Answer 15

375 g

Question 16

which lung, left or right, has the pulmonary artery on top

Answer 16

left

Question 17

what is the average weight of a male thyroid

Answer 17

25 g

Question 18

what is the average weight of a female thyroid

Answer 18

18 g

Question 19

what is the average weight of a liver

Answer 19

1650 g

Question 20

what are non-pathologic grooves in the liver called

Answer 20

leibermeister grooves

Question 21

what is the average weight of a male adrenal gland

Answer 21

9.7 g

Question 22

what is the average weight of a female adrenal gland

Answer 22

8.3 g

Question 23

what is the average weight of combined male kidneys

Answer 23

313 g

Question 24

what is the average weight of combined female kidneys

Answer 24

288 g

Question 25

what is the average weight of a 16-20 year old spleen

Answer 25

170 g

Question 26

what is the average weight of a 20-65 year old spleen

Answer 26

155 g

Question 27

what is the average weight of a 80 year old spleen

Answer 27

100 g

Question 28

what is the average weight of a 20-30 year old prostate

Answer 28

15 g

Question 29

what is the average weight of a 31-50 year old prostate

Answer 29

20 g

Question 30

what is the average weight of a 51-80 year old prostate

Answer 30

40 g

Question 31

what is the average weight of a singular testicle

Answer 31

25 g

Question 32

what is the average weight of a nullipara uterus

Answer 32

35 g

Question 33

what is the average weight of a post pregnancy uterus

Answer 33

110 g

Question 34

what is the average weight of a singular ovary

Answer 34

5-8 g

Question 35

how long does a brain need to fix before it can be cut

Answer 35

3 weeks

Question 36

what can you use to help you identify whether an eye is a left or a right

Answer 36

inferior oblique muscle - it's on the lateral aspect of the eye

Question 37

what is the most common cause of direct maternal death

Answer 37

thromboembolic disease

Question 38

how can you tell the difference between a pre and post mortem blood clot

Answer 38

a post mortem clot is almost like jelly a pre mortem clot is very adherent to the wall

Question 39

when sectioning the apex of the heart, slices are made parallel to which structure

Answer 39

AV groove

Question 40

does a pancreas need to be weighed at autopsy

Answer 40

no

Question 41

when producing parasagittal sections of the liver and bowel, what three structures should you include

Answer 41

liver hilum gallbladder portions of the IVC

Question 42

where should you open the bladder

Answer 42

beginning at the dome anteriorly

Question 43

the cerebrum should be sectioned along the coronal place through the ____

Answer 43

mammillary bodies