title: New horizons in forensic radiology: the 60-second digital autopsy-full-body examination of a gunshot victim by multislice computed tomography.
abstract: The goal of this study was the full-body documentation of a gunshot wound victim with multislice helical computed tomography for subsequent comparison with the findings of the standard forensic autopsy. Complete volume data of the head, neck, and trunk were acquired by use of two acquisitions of less than 1 minute of total scanning time. Subsequent two-dimensional multiplanar reformations and three-dimensional shaded surface display reconstructions helped document the gunshot-created skull fractures and brain injuries, including the wound track, and the intracerebral bone fragments. Computed tomography also demonstrated intracardiac air embolism and pulmonary aspiration of blood resulting from bullet wound-related trauma. The "digital autopsy," even when postprocessing time was added, was more rapid than the classic forensic autopsy and, based on the nondestructive approach, offered certain advantages in comparison with the forensic autopsy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine, Insel Hospital, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland. thali@irm.unibe.ch
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Thali
authors.forename: Wolf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schweitzer
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vock
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozdoba
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spielvogel
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dirnhofer
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D001769:Blood; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D020197:Head Injuries, Penetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D001239:Inhalation; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D013405:Suicide; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*