[Histonet] Re: fetal demise under 20 wks

[Robert Richmond]

Jessica Vacca in Brandon FL asks: >>Are there any facilities that do
not perform a gross and micro on a fetus less than 20 wks, if mom
wishes to bury it? Do you have a policy that states this and are you
willing to share? Does mom sign a form stating that she does not wish
for pathology to be done?<<

In a situation like this, the placenta needs to be examined both
grossly and microscopically, but the fetus generally does not. Most
pathology labs are not equipped to do an autopsy on a fetus this size,
and most pathologists (definitely including me) are not trained to do
this kind of autopsy. Most of the services I've worked on do not
routinely dissect the fetus.

Certainly, before I'd undertake any such autopsy, I'd want to make
sure that a funeral wasn't planned. Believe or not, open casket
funerals for fetuses are not unusual.

By the way, if you do dispose of a fetus, do so with great care, and
make sure that all identification is removed from it before final
disposal. Anti-abortion crazies have sometimes used this information
to harass the bereaved mother, as if she'd had the pregnancy aborted.
(This isn't an urban legend - I can supply a reference.)

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN