Rising incidence of Kawasaki disease in England: analysis of hospital admission data

Abstract

Knowing the clinical history is important for evaluating images, particularly when a specific clinical question has been raised.After the clinical history was discussed with the coroner, however, nearly half the cases referred by hospital doctors were accepted by the coroner without any postmortem examination.Many cases from general practice were referred to the coroner because the doctor had not seen the patient for several weeks, even though the patient had a proved history of disease.The doctors were either too busy or unavailable to visit the mortuary to review the body after death.In cases such as these, where specific diseases could be evaluated, magnetic resonance imaging was most valuable.Magnetic resonance imaging is a useful examination technique.The hard copy images are suited to audit and quality control, which are noticeably absent from the present system.Imaging is expensive, however, as we scan the head, thorax, and upper abdomen.The availability of scanners and radiologists' time also limit its use.