Applications

Applications

When considering the use of multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and the autopsy one must remember the objectives of the autopsy i.e. the determination of who the deceased was, where, when and by what means they came by their death. The current use of MDCT in association with autopsy practice reflects these questions. When considering whether MDCT can entirely replace the need for an invasive autopsy one must remember the following diagram:

A death may at first appear natural but be found to be a homicide, a homicide may have a natural disease present that contributes to the death and a suspicious death may be found to be a homicide or a natural cause. It must therefore be able to approach a death with this diagram in mind. In medico-legal practice there can be no room for error as the liberty of an individual may be at stake.

To date the role of MDCT in autopsy and forensic investigations include include:
• Natural deaths
• Non-natural deaths
• Identification of the deceased
• Time since death
• Inanimate object investigation
• Court presentation