Terms Used in Autopsy Reports & Their Meanings

The autopsy--from the Latin, "to see for oneself"--is also known as a post-mortem examination or obduction. Personal physicians can only perform autopsies with the consent of the next of kin. However, a medical examiner is not required to obtain consent. Medical examiners are government-appointed physicians who are certified specialists in forensic pathology.

Rigor Mortis

• The degree of Rigor Mortis helps determine the time of death.

  Rigor mortis is the stiffening that occurs in a body after death. The loss of adenosine triphosphate from the body's muscles causes it. ATP is the substance that allows energy to flow to the muscles. Rigor mortis usually appears about two hours after death; however, it develops faster in the smaller muscles than in larger ones. In addition, rigor mortis leaves the body 48 hours after death. For this reason, the degree of rigor mortis is a factor in determining the time of death.

Lividity

• Lividity begins within 30 minutes of death.

  Lividity refers to the pooling and discoloration of blood in the lower extremities of a deceased person, according to Officer.com. When death occurs and the heart stops beating, blood inside the body settles in direct response to gravity. Lividity begins within 30 minutes of death and can last up to 12 hours. For this reason, lividity is a factor in determining the time of death and whether the body was moved from one location to another after death.

Pathology

• Pathology is the study and nature of disease. An autopsy will most likely include a neuropathology (brain) and a cardiovascular pathology (heart and vascular system) section, sometimes listed under Microscopic Examination. The pathology section of the autopsy report will cite any abnormalities found in the internal organs caused by disease. It will identify whether a disease was the cause, or a contributing cause, of death. For instance, a person can die of liver failure, but an autopsy could reveal that the underlying pathology of the liver found cirrhosis, rather than poison or injury.

Toxicology/Serology

• An autopsy report will include a toxicology summary, which lists the toxins the medical examiner tested for in the body. Serology results from the examination of bodily fluids can be listed separately. Blood, urine and semen are the most common fluids examined. Ocular fluid and bile are among others that might be listed. The report will cite any traces of drugs, alcohol or other substances found in the serology section. If a substance is not listed, it means that a test for that substance was not done, not that the substance was not present.

Forensic

• Forensic autopsies are performed when a death appears suspicious or unnatural.

  Forensics is where science and law intertwine. In cases where a death is suspicious or unnatural, a forensic autopsy will be performed, as opposed to a medical autopsy, which is performed in cases where the cause of death is well known to be disease. Medical autopsy reports usually rely on medical records, histories and reports. Forensic autopsy reports will include a section for evidence collected. If a chronically or terminally ill patient really died as a result of foul play, a medical autopsy might overlook evidence a forensic autopsy would more likely catch.