title: The importance of post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) in confrontation with conventional forensic autopsy of victims of motorcycle accidents.
abstract: Since traffic accidents are an important problem in forensic medicine, there is a constant search for new solutions to help with an investigation process in such cases. In recent years there was a rapid development of post-mortem imaging techniques, especially post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT). In our work we concentrated on a potential advantage of PMCT in cases of motorcycle accident fatalities. The results of forensic autopsy were compared with combined results of the autopsy and PMCT to check in which areas use of these two techniques gives statistically important increase in number of findings. The hypothesis was confirmed in case of pneumothorax and fractures of skull, spine, clavicle, scapula, lower leg bones. As for majority of other bone fractures locations and brain injures there were single cases with pathologies visible only in PMCT, but too few to reach expected level of p-value. In case of injuries of solid organs and soft tissues statistical analysis did not confirmed any advantage of unenhanced PMCT use. On the whole it has been shown that PMCT used as an adjunct to forensic autopsy can cause an increase in information about vitally important regions in case of motorcycle accident fatalities.
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Grzegórzecka 16, 31-531 Kraków, Poland. Electronic address: am@mlodylekarz.pl.
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moskała
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Grzegórzecka 16, 31-531 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Woźniak
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Grzegórzecka 16, 31-531 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kluza
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Grzegórzecka 16, 31-531 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Romaszko
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Forensic Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Grzegórzecka 16, 31-531 Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Oleksij
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lopatin
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009049:Motorcycles; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Forensic autopsy; Forensic medicine; Motorcycle accidents; PMCT; Post-mortem computed tomography