Phases of an Autopsy
First phase when the body is officially examined at the scene by the judge, police, and forensic doctor.
Removal of the body (scene examination)
Technique where all organs are removed together as one block.
Letulle technique
The most common incision today, shaped like a “Y”.
Y-shaped incision
Towels are placed over cut ribs for this safety reason.
To protect from sharp bone edges
Electric saw used to open the skull.
skull.Vibrating (Stryker) saw
Phase when the body is opened to access the organs.
Opening of the body
Technique used most often in forensic autopsies, removing organs one by one.
Virchow technique
A straight cut from the chin to the pubis along the middle of the body.
I-shaped incision
Tool used to cut the ribs open during a thoracic examination.
Rib cutters (costotome)
The posterior spinal approach exposes this canal by removing vertebral bone.
Spinal (vertebral) canal
Phase when the outside of the body is described: marks, clothes, and visible injuries.
External examination
Technique where the organs are examined in place and only a few are removed.
Rokitansky technique
An incision starting at the left shoulder, going around the chest and abdomen, and ending at the right shoulder.
U-shaped incision
Scissors used to open the abdomen safely without damaging the organs.
Blunt-tipped scissors
Two main steps before the body is shown after the autopsy.
Replace organs/bones and sew incisions closed
Phase when the internal organs are taken out for study.
Evisceration
Technique that removes organs in four blocks: neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
Ghon technique
An incision with one horizontal cut on the chest and one vertical cut down to the pubis.
T-shaped incision
Bone most often studied in trauma or forensic cases.
Femur
Type of scalp incision used to open the head for brain removal.
Bitemporal incision
Last phase when the body is closed and made presentable again.
Reconstruction of the body
Technique that is quick and allows detailed study of each organ, but loses anatomical connections.
Virchow technique
For incisions of infants, what object is placed under the shoulders to extend the neck?
A rolled towel or small block
One of the large blood vessels that must be cut to remove the heart.
Aorta, pulmonary vessels, vena cava.
The part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord.
Medulla oblongata