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Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and disaster victim identification

  • ETHICS AND FORENSIC RADIOLOGY
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Abstract

Radiography has been used for identification since 1927, and established a role in mass fatality investigations in 1949. More recently, postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) has been used for disaster victim identification (DVI). PMCT offers several advantages compared with fluoroscopy, plain film and dental X-rays, including: speed, reducing the number of on-site personnel and imaging modalities required, making it potentially more efficient. However, there are limitations that inhibit the international adoption of PMCT into routine practice. One particular problem is that due to the fact that forensic radiology is a relatively new sub-speciality, there are no internationally established standards for image acquisition, image interpretation and archiving. This is reflected by the current INTERPOL DVI form, which does not contain a PMCT section. The DVI working group of the International Society of Forensic Radiology and Imaging supports the use of imaging in mass fatality response and has published positional statements in this area. This review will discuss forensic radiology, PMCT, and its role in disaster victim identification.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

For this type of study, formal consent is not required. This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. East Midlands Forensic Pathology Unit, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester, LE2 7LX, UK

    A. L. Brough & G. N. Rutty

  2. Imaging Department, University of Leicester, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester, LE1 5WW, UK

    B. Morgan

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  1. A. L. Brough
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  2. B. Morgan
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  3. G. N. Rutty
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Correspondence to A. L. Brough.

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Brough, A.L., Morgan, B. & Rutty, G.N. Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and disaster victim identification. Radiol med 120, 866–873 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-015-0556-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-015-0556-7

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