lijkschouwingen

Lijkschouwingen are postmortem examinations conducted on deceased persons to determine the cause and manner of death, identify injuries, and collect evidence for legal or statistical purposes. The practice is medical-legal in nature and is typically performed by a physician trained in forensic pathology or by a pathologist.

In general, a lijkschouw can be requested by a coroner or public prosecutor in cases of sudden, unexpected, violent, or unexplained deaths, or when a death certificate requires confirmation of cause. It may also be performed for clinical or research reasons, such as when a hospital seeks to understand a disease process.

The procedure commonly includes external inspection of the body, documentation of injuries or signs of illness, and, when authorized, internal examination via dissection. Tissue samples, bodily fluids, and organs may be collected for histopathology, toxicology, microbiology, and radiologic imaging. In modern practice, imaging techniques (virtopsy) and minimally invasive approaches may be used as alternatives or adjuncts to full dissection. The extent of the examination depends on the legal framework and the circumstances of death; consent from next of kin may be required for non-forensic autopsies, though authorities can override in certain cases.

The results are compiled into an autopsy report that states the likely cause of death, the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined), and other findings, along with implications for public health, statistics, or legal proceedings.

Ethical and cultural considerations include respect for the deceased, privacy of relatives, and the permissibility of religious objections. In some regions, lijkschouwingen have a long-standing tradition in hospitals and legal medicine, while in others they form an essential component of medico-legal investigations.