Acta Scientific Neurology (ASNE) (ISSN: 2582-1121)

Case Series Volume 6 Issue 10

Role of Minimally Invasive Autopsy in Identifying Histopathological Abnormalities in Brain among COVID-19 Deceased Cases: An Interesting Case Series

Pushpanjali R Ojha*

Pathology Trauma Center lab, Ranchi University/Rajendra Institute of Medical sciences, India

*Corresponding Author: Pushpanjali R Ojha, Pathology Trauma Center lab, Ranchi University/Rajendra Institute of Medical sciences, India.

Received: August 17, 2023; Published: September 28, 2023

Abstract

Objective: To explore the role of minimally invasive trucut autopsy as a safe and rapid approach to obtain brain tissues and to identify histopathological spectrum of brain injury among COVID-19 deceased cases.

Methods: Minimally invasive trucut autopsy was done via bilateral transorbital approach through medial canthus to obtain single cores of brain tissues from each side among COVID-19 deceased cases after obtaining written informed consent from the attendants of the deceased. Histopathological examination was done by two independent pathologists after tissue processing and findings were recorded.

Results: Out of ten trucut autopsies, three were excluded due to loss of tissue during processing and four out of seven were showing histopathological features of acute cerebral injury, viral encephalitis and cerebrovascular thrombotic microangiopathy. Rest three brain tissues were normal histologically. All cases were critically ill with COVID-19, have comorbidities and poor compliance with COVID-19 specific management.

Conclusion: We conclude that MIA is a rapid, cost-effective, safer technique with higher diagnostic yield. It can provide significant histopathological findings for confirmative diagnosis among histopathologically unknown highly infectious diseases. We also observed that brain tissues can be affected in COVID-19 by direct cytotropic effect of virus through olfactory bulb or indirectly by systemic response. Presence of vacuolations and inclusions in brain biopsy must be further examined for RNA isolation for further confirmation. These findings strengthen our hypothesis of long COVID-19 associated Neurological complications resulting from virus induced brain injury.

Keywords: Minimally Invasive Brain Autopsy; Histopathological Spectrum; Covid-19 Deceased; Conventional Autopsy

References

  1. Garcia-Azorin D and Ezpeleta D. “Post COVID-19 neurological symptoms”. Journal of Neurology S1 (2021): s1-s3.
  2. Li Y., et al. “Acute cerebrovascular disease following COVID-19: A single center, retrospective, observational study”. Stroke and Vascular Neurology 3 (2020): 279-284.
  3. Paterson RW., et al. “The emerging spectrum of COVID-19 neurology: clinical, radiological and laboratory findings”. Brain10 (2020): 3104-3120.
  4. Wright JR. “Sins of our fathers: two of the four doctors and their roles in the development of techniques to permit covert autopsies”. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 133 (2009): 1969-1974.
  5. Blokker BM., et al. “Non-invasive or minimally invasive autopsy compared to conventional autopsy of suspected natural deaths in adults: a systematic review”. European Radiology 26 (2016): 1159-1179.
  6. Turnbull A., et al. “Hospital autopsy: Endangered or extinct?” Journal of Clinical Pathology 8 (2015): 601-604.
  7. Fisicaro F., et al. “Neurological sequelae in patients with COVID-19: A histopathological perspective”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 4 (2021): 1415.
  8. Crunfli F., et al. “Morphological, cellular and molecular basis of brain infection in COVID-19 patients”. PNAS35 (2022): 1-12.

Citation

Citation: Pushpanjali R Ojha. “Role of Minimally Invasive Autopsy in Identifying Histopathological Abnormalities in Brain among COVID-19 Deceased Cases: An Interesting Case Series". Acta Scientific Neurology 6.10 (2023): 30-36.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Pushpanjali R Ojha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.




Metrics

Acceptance rate32%
Acceptance to publication20-30 days

Indexed In




News and Events


  • Certification for Review
    Acta Scientific certifies the Editors/reviewers for their review done towards the assigned articles of the respective journals.
  • Submission Timeline for Upcoming Issue
    The last date for submission of articles for regular Issues is July 10, 2024.
  • Publication Certificate
    Authors will be issued a "Publication Certificate" as a mark of appreciation for publishing their work.
  • Best Article of the Issue
    The Editors will elect one Best Article after each issue release. The authors of this article will be provided with a certificate of "Best Article of the Issue"
  • Welcoming Article Submission
    Acta Scientific delightfully welcomes active researchers for submission of articles towards the upcoming issue of respective journals.

Contact US