Histomorphogical Pattern of Lung in Medicolegal Autopsies

Introduction The lungs are involved in various kinds of inflammatory, neoplastic and other lesions, but they are secondarily involved in almost all form of terminal diseases. The autopsy may reveal diagnosis which may not be suspected clinically or may, in some way, discredit. Aim To present the pulmonary histopathological alterations identified in autopsy. Methodology This is a retrospective study done in the Department of Pathology, SSIMS & RC over a period of 3 years from 2011 to 2014. Materials for study consisted of lungs from 22 cases from medico-legal autopsies received during this period. Gross features were recorded and microscopic diagnosis were made Results Among the 22 lung specimens from medicolegal autopsies, 17 were males and 5 were females Findings of primary lung disease were seen in 15 cases, of which 5 were tuberculosis and 7 were pneumonia. Of the remaining cases other than primary lung disease there were 2 cases of ARDS, 2 cases of emphysema, one case of interstitial fibrosis and others showed associated findings like interstitial edema, emphysematous changes and congestion due to non-pulmonary causes. Conclusion Histomorphological study of lung in medicolegal autopsies may quite often reveal some natural disease and its relative contribution towards death.