Use of cytology as an auxiliary diagnostic tool in autopsies.

Background: The use of minimally invasive procedures in autopsies such as image-guided fine-needle aspiration may facilitate family acceptance and, therefore, increase the number of postmortem examinations. The objective of the current study was to validate the use of cytology in a prospective set of conventional autopsies.

Methods: All lesions and organs sampled for histological examination were concomitantly evaluated by scrape cytology of exactly the same location.