All-Body-Cavity (ABC)-scopy: an approach for a feasible method of minimally invasive autopsy to allow for postmortem tissue sampling in cases where a conventional autopsy is denied

Objectives The decreasing autopsy numbers in many western countries have been partially attributed to the invasiveness of the autopsy, which causes relatives to decline postmortem examination. This issue has been addressed by developing methods of minimally or non-invasive autopsy, which could be shown to increase acceptance for autopsies. The aim of this study is to compare the All-Body-Cavity-scopy (ABC-scopy) to conventional autopsies for diagnostic accuracy. Methods The ABC-scopy is an endoscopic approach for minimally invasive autopsy involving laparoscopic and thoracoscopic evaluation of the accessible organs, followed by excision biopsies of relevant organs and conspicuous findings. The method was performed in 10 cases on deceased patients scheduled for autopsy, each followed by a conventional autopsy. Results The results gathered from ABC-scopy through observation and histopathological evaluation provided an acceptable diagnostic accuracy in 9 out of 10 autopsies when compared to those of the conventional autopsy for diagnostic findings. Conclusions The ABC-scopy is a feasible approach for minimally invasive autopsy that provides acceptable diagnostic value. Despite its minimally invasive nature, the procedure enables representative histology through providing large size excision biopsies from intraabdominal and thoracic organs, which is especially useful for examining disseminated diseases such as metastasized tumors