title: Virtopsy-postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a fatal scuba diving incident.
abstract: The body of a 44-year-old scuba diver was examined using postmortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and findings were verified by subsequent autopsy. The goal was to find out whether the important pathomorphological findings for the reconstruction of events and the identification of cause and manner of death could be identified using modem digital cross-sectioning techniques. The findings of a massive vital decompression with pulmonary barotrauma and lethal gas embolism were identified in the radiological images. MSCT and MRI were superior to autopsy in the demonstration of the extent and distribution of gas accumulation in intraparenchymal blood vessels of internal organs as well as in areas of the body inaccessible by standard autopsy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Berne, Switzerland. plattner@irm.unibe.ch
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Plattner
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Thali
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sonnenschein
authors.forename: Christoforos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stoupis
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vock
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zwygart-Brügger
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kilchör
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dirnhofer
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods*; D001469:Barotrauma / Q000175:diagnosis; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000175:diagnosis; D004242:Diving / Q000293:injuries*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*