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Chapter 27 - Autolysis and Artifacts

from Autolysis, Artifacts, and Stillbirths

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2021

Mirna Lechpammer ,
Marc Del Bigio  and
Rebecca Folkerth
By
Marc Del Bigio
Mirna Lechpammer
Affiliation:
New York University School of Medicine
Marc Del Bigio
Affiliation:
University of Manitoba, Canada
Rebecca Folkerth
Affiliation:
New York University School of Medicine
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Summary

The word artifact is derived from the Latin words arte (“by skill”) and factum (“thing made”) and originally referred to things made by skill. The sense of the word artifact in biology and pathology is regressive and refers to features that are not true characteristics of the object of study. Perinatal neuropathology is bedeviled by artifacts because of the inherently soft nature of the immature brain and the susceptibility to autolytic processes. It is critical that the pathologist understand the nature of these artifacts. Note that these changes are especially obvious in brains of stillborn infants (see Chapter 28). In addition to macroscopic and microscopic structures, autolysis can also adversely affect immunoreactivity and the quality of RNA and DNA (1, 2).

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Perinatal Neuropathology , pp. 131 - 138
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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