ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the broad planning and the consent that will be required to conduct a meaningful examination of the nervous system, relevant to clinical and medicolegal needs. Examination of the nervous system is expected to be essential to arriving at an accurate diagnosis of conditions contributing to the cause of death, including: cerebral hypoxia/anoxia; head injury; epilepsy; dementia; movement disorder; Creutzfeldt—Jakob disease; and peripheral neuropathy. Plan an examination and sampling of the nervous system as part of a full general post-mortem. In some circumstances it is appropriate to offer the choice of a post-mortem examination limited to the brain only or to the brain and spinal cord. The most reliable results are achieved if the brain and spinal cord are retained and examined fixation. Examination of the spinal cord should be based on consideration of the clinical context of the case.
