POSSIBILITIES OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN FORENSIC MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF MECHANICAL TRAUMA AND SUDDEN DEATH (A LITERATURE REVIEW)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The review analyzes the possibility of multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use in the forensic examination of corpses of adults. We present the critical analysis of literature on post-mortem imaging in terms of forensic thanatology. The review is based on basic Internet resources: Scientific Electronic Library (elibrary), Scopus, PubMed. The review includes articles that discuss both advantages and limitations of post-mortem MSCT and MRI imaging in forensic examination of the corpse.Through studying the available literature, the authors attempted to answer two questions: 1) which method was more suitable for the purposes of forensic examination of the corpse - MSCT or MRI; 2) whether the virtual autopsy replaced the traditional autopsy in the near future?Conclusion: comprehensive study of the corpse often requires both imaging methods; in cases of death under mechanical damage, MSCT exceeds the range of possibilities of MRI; today, virtual autopsy cannot completely replace traditional autopsy in forensic science, since there are no convincing evidence-based comparative studies, as well as the legal framework of the method.

Keywords

• post-mortem imaging
• virtual autopsy
• computed tomography of the corpse
• magnetic resonance imaging of the corpse