On-call pathologist for autopsy service: 902-470-8888
Inquiries from funeral homes: 902-470-8285
Fax for autopsy documents: 902-470-8989
Autopsy Service
The IWK Division of Anatomical Pathology provides consulting autopsy services for fetuses (terminations of pregnancy and intrauterine fetal demise), infants, and children.
Note: The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service has jurisdiction over certain types of deaths in the province. Please see the Fatality Investigations Act (nslegislature.ca) or call the Medical Examiner Service at 902-424-2722 to determine if a death falls under their jurisdiction.
We accept cases from anywhere in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador. The attending physician must consult the on-call pathologist via the IWK Switchboard at 902-470-8888. Transportation of remains must be organized by the referring institution.
The attending physician must obtain appropriate informed consent from the appropriate consent-giver. The consent-giver is the Substitute Decision Maker as defined in the Hospitals Act (nslegislature.ca). Note: for the majority of deaths referable to the IWK Autopsy Service, the consent-giver is a parent of the deceased.
Options for post-mortem examinations include:
- Complete post-mortem examination: This is an unrestricted external and internal examination, including (if clinically indicated):
- External examination and photographs.
- X-rays and/or other diagnostic imaging as indicated.
- Detailed internal anatomical examination of all internal organs via a Y-shaped incision of the chest & abdomen ("autopsy").
- Removal of the brain and spinal cord (via an ear-to-ear occipital incision and craniotomy); detailed examination of brain and spinal cord after several weeks of storage and fixation.
- Removal of other whole organs requiring further examination; detailed examination after several days or weeks of storage and fixation.
- Sampling of tissues from all organs for microscopic examination.
- Sampling of tissues for chromosomal or genetic testing.
- Storage of frozen tissue samples for potential future chromosomal or genetic testing.
- Long-term archiving of tissue samples per usual hospital policies.
- General post-mortem examination; no retention of whole organs: This option includes all components of the complete examination (above, if indicated) except:
- No whole organs will be stored for later examination after fixation; this precludes detailed examination of the brian and spinal cord, which require longer-term fixation.
- External only post-mortem examination: This examination does not involve opening the body or internal examination of organs. Instead, the following may be done:
- External examination and photographs.
- X-rays and/or other imaging as requested or indicated.
- This option may include non-invasive tissue sampling (for example, from the umbilical cord) for genetic testing.
- Directed post-mortem examination: If clinical indications and consent-giver preferences do not align with any of the options above, any specific components of the possible post-mortem examinations may be consented to or declined. For example:
- Examination of thoracic organs only.
- Examination of brain only.
- Permission for post-mortem MRI of the brain only.
- Complete post-mortem examination, with exclusion of genetic testing.