Digital Autopsy

Autopsy or post mortem is defined as medical examination of the death by cutting (or dissecting) the body, usually to determine the cause of death. It involves thorough external and internal examination of the body. The term ‘Autopsy’ is a combination of the Greek term ‘autos’ (self) and ‘opsomei’ (I will see). Thus, ‘Autopsy’ means ‘to see with one’s own eyes’. Autopsies are performed by forensic pathologists, known as medical doctors, who have received specialty training in the diagnosis of diseases by the examination of body fluids and tissues.

In forensic cases, the autopsy can provide key information and guide the criminal investigation. However, over the years the frequency of autopsies has decreased and this has become a serious issue. This mainly occurs in cultures and situations where autopsy is not tolerated by religious bias. Moreover, conducting autopsy to the deceased increases the family’s misery.

Conventional Autopsy Procedures

But now, this can be avoided with the recent addition to the conventional autopsy, which is conducting postmortem in digital 3D volume, known as Digital Autopsy (DA) by reconstructing data from MSCT (Multi Slice CT Scans) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans of cadavers with 3D volume rendering techniques. DA is a non – invasive, bloodless technique in which cutting of body is reduced to a minimal level. DA basically is a 3D body volume documentation and analysis where a full 3-D visualization of the deceased can be created to examine the condition of bones, tissues, organs and blood vessels for clues to the cause and manner of death. Thus, DA provides the information as if the body is actually being dissected layer by layer although in reality the body remains intact.

In DA, the body can be dissected and examined layer by layer.

The advantage of DA is that it does not destroy key forensic evidence which may be damaged during conventional autopsy. The conventional autopsy happens in a haphazard, subjective, and observer-dependent manner. Any findings that have not been documented are irreparably destroyed when the cadaver is sent to the crematory. The DA techniques can overcome these shortcomings, as they provide datasets of cadavers that contain the findings in real dimensions and are storable for years to be used in the future. The digitally acquired data can be referred to at any time as new questions arise, or may be sent to additional experts for a second opinion via CD or email.

Some findings that are difficult to visualize in a conventional autopsy can easily be seen in a 3D body rendered from CT scanned data, such as air distribution within the body. A 3D digital body can also be invaluable for locating foreign objects such as metal fragments and bullets, which are of great importance for the forensic pathologist. In addition, DA promises to ease the burden of determining identity and cause of death of large number of victims following earthquakes or other natural disasters.

3D air reconstruction of the thoracic CT data

In conclusion, DA is a newly developed procedure that has the ability to provide an additional benefit that will enhance the conventional autopsy procedure as a whole, giving it the capacity to achieve more reliable results.  It is clear that the introduction of this reality based, high-tech method can have a big impact on the forensic medicine, the judicial system, the police and the general medicine in the future.

by Ravinder, Forensic Research Assistant