Virtopsy: Forensic Traumatology of the Subcutaneous Fatty Tissue; Multislice Computed Tomography (MSCT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Diagnostic Tools

• NCJ Number: 206540
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 49 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2004 Pages: 799-806
• Author(s): Kathrin Yen M.D.; Peter Vock M.D.; Barbara Tiefenthaler; Gerhard Ranner M.D.; Eva Scheurer M.D.; Michael J. Thali M.D.; Karin Zwygart; Martin Sonnenschein M.D.; Marco Wiltgen M.D.; Richard Dirnhofer M.D.
• Date Published: July 2004
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

For four virtopsy cases that showed blunt trauma to the skin and fatty tissue, this study determined whether the lesions could also be recorded and classified through the use of multislice computer tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Abstract

The authors' previous studies demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging is sufficiently sensitive to detect soft tissue lesions. The objective of the current study was to determine whether the various stages of fatty tissue damage in four case studies could be diagnosed and differentiated by using MSCT/MRI. Based on the work of Walcher and Patscheider, this paper defines four degrees of fatty tissue damage according to macro- and microscopical criteria. Such grading is forensically important in determining the exact location and extent of a traumatic blunt force impact to the body. In the order of severity, the four grades are perilobular hemorrhage (slight trauma); contusion of the fat lobuli (hemorrhages between and within the fat lobuli, with the structure of the lobuli remaining intact); disintegration of fat lobuli (septae between the lobuli and the fat cell membranes are partially destroyed); and crush cavity (destruction of fatty tissue is so pronounced that a subcutaneous cavity is formed where blood and liquefied fat collect). The authors describe the manifestations of these four grades of trauma. The comparison of digital radiological imaging techniques shows that MRI is well suited to assist in recognizing and classifying the lesions of fatty tissue that are important for forensic reconstruction. MSCT has its place as a rapid screening tool, but not as a sensitive diagnostic method. Thus, the use of MRI will greatly enrich the diagnostic possibilities in forensic clinical cases in which pathological analysis is not possible or available. It remains to be determined whether the ongoing technical improvement of imaging methods and/or the combination of MRI/MSCT with color surface scanning can nondestructively equal conventional autopsy in detecting and classifying subcutaneous tissue injury. 1 table, 5 figures, and 13 references