Abstract

GONZALEZ FABIAN, Licet; CAMPOS PENA, Rosa  and  HURTADO DE MENDOZA AMAT, José. Cerebral atherosclerosis: evaluation of the quality of premortem diagnoses. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2008, vol.37, n.2. ISSN 0138-6557.

Atherosclerosis is the first cause of death in Cuba, whereas the cerebrovascular disease is the third. To assess its behaviour as a basic cause of death in Cuba, and to determine the quality of premortem diagnosis, a descriptive and retrospective study of 2 868 autopsies with diagnosis of cerebral atherosclerosis performed at "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay" Military Central Hospital from January 1999 to December 2002, was conducted. 206 cases were studied in whom cerebral atherosclerosis was the main cause of death (53.9 % were females). The age group 65-84 was the greatest. 81.1 % died in intensive medicine wards. Infections, malignant tumors and multiple organ damage were the main associated morbidity. Premortem and postmortem diagnostic discrepancy was 28.3 % in the direct cause of death, and 27.4 % in the basic. The importance of the multicausal study of death was stressed.

Keywords : Autopsy; ASRCPA (Automated System of Register and Control of Pathological Anatomy); data bank; diagnostic discrepancy; direct cause and basic cause of death.

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