Medical imaging techniques can provide accurate information on the cause of death without the need to carry out invasive postmortem examinations, according to a study by researchers at the University of Leicester.
The study, published in The Lancet on 24 May, looked at 204 cases of natural and non-suspicious unnatural deaths. It compared the results of a traditional autopsy with those gained using postmortem computed tomography enhanced with targeted coronary angiography (PMCTA) to investigate any pathological changes in the heart.
The team, led by Bruno Morgan of the Leicester Royal Infirmary radiology department and Guy Rutty of the university’s forensic pathology unit, suggests that using the PMCTA method instead of a conventional postmortem examination would avoid much of the cost, the religious objections and the distress caused to relatives.
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