Prospektive untersuchung zur wertigkeit der postmortalen computertomographie im vergleich zur autopsie

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic value of postmortem computed tomography (CT) in comparison to autopsy. Materials and Methods: Twenty-seven cadavers were examined by sequential cranial CT and helical CT through the neck, thorax and abdomen and subsequently underwent an autopsy with histomorphologic examination of the pathologic specimens. The findings of CT, autopsy and histology were registered and compared by three radiologists and one specialist for forensic medicine, using a data entry form. Results: In 19 of 27 cases, the findings explaining the cause of death were concordant for CT and autopsy. Intracranial, intraspinal and intracardiac gas accumulations (n = 12) were registered by CT alone. The detection of skull fractures was equal for both methods (n = 3). CT showed diagnostic problems in the assessment of pneumonic infiltrations (n = 16) and pulmonary edema (n = 21). Conclusion: CT is a useful and complementary method to autopsy.