Role of Postmortem CT in the Forensic Evaluation of Hemopericardium

Abstract

Hemopericardium (HP) is defined as the accumulation of blood in the pericardial sack. In a clinical setting, prompt identification of the presence of HP is of huge importance, because HP can result in pericardial tamponade. While echocardiography remains the most appropriate method for the evaluation of pericardial effusions in the clinical setting, postmortem imaging computed tomography (PMCT) is a valuable instrument for detecting the presence of HP and in evaluating its significance in causing mechanical impairment of cardiac activity and finally death. In this article, the actual knowledge on PMCT imaging findings related to HP are reported, with particular attention to the assessment of its significance with relation to the forensic diagnosis of the cause of death. According to the present work, the diagnosis of pericardial tamponade due to HP might be considered one of the critical fields of investigation where classical autopsy may fail and where PMCT imaging may offer its most important aids.