Legal Medicine
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Pages 154-156, May 2010

Minimally invasive post-mortem CT-angiography in a case involving a gunshot wound

Center of Forensic Imaging and Virtopsy, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Buehlstrasse 20, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland

Received 7 December 2009; received in revised form 16 February 2010; accepted 23 February 2010. published online 22 March 2010.

Abstract 

Non-contrast post-mortem computed tomography (pm-CT) is useful in the evaluation of bony pathologies, whereas minimally invasive pm-CT-angiography allows for the detection of subtle vascular lesions. We present a case of an accidentally self-inflicted fatal bullet wound to the chest where pm-CT-angiography revealed a small laceration of the anterior interventricular branch of the left coronary artery and a tiny disruption of the right ventricle with pericardial and pleural effusion. Subsequent autopsy confirmed our radiological findings. Post-mortem CT-angiography has a great potential for the detection of vascular lesions and can be considered equivalent to autopsy for selected cases in forensic medicine.

Keywords: Post-mortem computed tomography, Post-mortem computed tomography angiography, Gunshot wound, Vascular lesion

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PII: S1344-6223(10)00034-9

doi:10.1016/j.legalmed.2010.02.005

Legal Medicine
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Pages 154-156, May 2010

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