NCJ Number
207722
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 49 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2004 Pages: 1339-1342
Date Published
November 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The feasibility of using multislice-computed tomography (MSCT) in the autopsy diagnosis of venous air embolism (VAE) as a possible cause of death has already been shown; the current study used a processing software for computed tomography (CT) data that achieves excellent three-dimensional segmentation and visualization of the intravascular air.
Abstract
In the Virtopsy project at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland, 90 human corpses underwent combined MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and MSCT examinations prior to autopsy. The examinations were conducted between July 2000 and November 2003. Four of the 90 cases presenting with VAE were included in the study to describe the findings of VAE and to test a postprocessing software that supports the three-dimensional presentation of air. The Postmortem MSCT data and processing software proved to be accurate in detecting, visualizing, and quantifying air embolism. This is a significant achievement, since determining that VAE may be the primary cause of death depends on the air volume embolized. The visualization and quantification of such air volume in the autopsy room has not been satisfactorily achieved in the past, thus limiting the examiner's ability to render an unequivocal finding of VAE as the cause of death. 4 illustrative figures and 13 references