title: Virtopsy Computed Tomography in Trauma: Normal Postmortem Changes and Pathologic Spectrum of Findings.
abstract: Virtopsy or virtual autopsy is an emerging technique, developed to supplement traditional forensic autopsy. Virtopsy can be done by using imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging. Virtopsy CT comprises a pan-body noncontrast CT scan obtained after death. Virtopsy CT is useful in trauma cases as it can provide an overview of injuries sustained by the victim; detect craniofacial, cerebral, thoracic, and osseous injuries; and suggest putative causes of death. This can reduce the time taken for forensic autopsy and sometimes obviate the need for a forensic autopsy. However, virtopsy CT reporting is not exactly synonymous with interpreting antemortem contrast-enhanced CT images as postmortem decompositional changes also occur. Awareness of imaging appearances of both postmortem putrefactive changes and pathologic findings is essential to avoid errors in interpretation and enable estimation of cause of death in patients with trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiodiagnosis, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ananya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panda
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiodiagnosis, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: dratinkumar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Atin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiodiagnosis, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Shivanand
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gamanagatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Biplab
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mishra
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005121:Extremities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006257:Head / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*