PATIENT EDUCATION : ALS Autopsy Program

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The autopsy program is available for patients followed at the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Research Center.

Autopsy is an extremely important medical procedure that contributes substantially to ALS research. And autopsy is a very sensitive subject as it is difficult in our culture to talk openly and to plan thoughtfully for death. In your planning, we ask you to carefully consider planning a postmortem examination, or autopsy, to be performed at the time of your death.

Why autopsy is important in ALS:

• ALS is a clinical diagnosis. This means that an absolute diagnosis of ALS is only confirmed with autopsy.
  
  
• Much of our understanding about ALS has evolved because of autopsy.
  
  
• Many recent achievements in ALS treatment are a direct result of autopsy.
  
  
• There are other diseases that are mistaken for ALS, and some of those diseases are genetic and can be identified through autopsy.
  
  
• Autopsy provides important information to the ALS research community and to your family.

If you would like more information please email us at ALSCenter@columbia.edu or call 212 342-3728. We are more than happy to discuss with you the important scientific aspect of an ALS autopsy.