[Death investigation and postmortem imaging].
Our department has employed postmortem computed tomography (CT) for the last 4 years. When CT is combined with autopsy, it is very helpful. However, there are some demerits. CT cannot identify death due to intoxication. In only about 30% of cases can CT determine the cause of death. CT sometimes overlooks injuries such as cervical spinal injury. If a doctor is to determine the cause of death only from CT and not report the case to the police, which can provide information about the scene or personal history, even a homicide may be mistaken as a disease-related death. Without reforms of the death investigation system, the budget for postmortem CT cannot be relied upon. To employ postmortem CT efficiently, reform of the death investigation system is necessary.
Iwase
Hitotaro
H
Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University.
D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D003933:Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed