A post-mortem examination (autopsy), is a medical examination of a body after death.
Usually, a post-mortem involves operating on the body to carry out an internal examination. Sometimes there can be a scan of the body instead.
The aim of a post-mortem is to determine the cause of death and decide whether an inquest is needed.
Most coroners do not carry out post mortems themselves, qualified pathologists do this on behalf of the coroner. The pathologist who conducts the post-mortem will write a report for the coroner. You can ask the coroner’s office for a copy.
If someone related to you has died and their death has been referred to a coroner, you won't be asked to give permission for a post-mortem to take place. This is because the coroner is required by law to carry out a post-mortem when a death is sudden, suspicious or unnatural.
Sometimes samples of blood or body tissue including organs will be kept after the body has been released if further tests and investigations are needed to determine the cause of death. You will be given options to decide what happens to the tissue that has been taken.