Abstract: Objective To analyze the causes of perinatal death and related factors from the perspective of forensic medicine, and to provide references for reducing perinatal mortality and guidance for forensic identification. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 102 cases of perinatal autopsy with clinical data from the Department of Forensic Medicine of Chongqing Medical University in 2004-2016. Results Of the 102 cases of perinatal deaths, 66 （64.71%） were neonatal deaths, 24 （23.53%） were stillborn foetuses, and 12 （11.76%） were stillbirths. Among the 66 neonatal death cases, 39 （59.09%） died within 1 d, 19 （28.79%） died within 1-3 d, and 8 （12.12%） died within >3-7 d of birth. The top 3 causes of neonatal death were pulmonary diseases, congenital malformation, umbilical cord and placental abnormalities. The causes of stillborn foetus and stillbirth were mainly umbilical cord and placental abnormalities, and intrauterine asphyxia. Conclusion Pulmonary diseases, umbilical cord and placental abnormalities, and congenital malformations are the main causes of perinatal death. In order to reduce the perinatal mortality, pre-pregnancy examination and prenatal care should be strengthened, and the knowledge of pregnancy care should be popularized.

Key words: forensic pathology, perinatal infant, death, cause of death, related factor, Chongqing