The usefulness of post-mortem CT angiography in injuries caused by falling from considerable heights: three fatal cases.

Abstract

Post-mortem computed tomography is a diagnostic tool forming part of the arsenal available to forensic pathologists today. In addition to its usefulness in detecting bone lesions, which has long been recognized, this technique has nowadays been enhanced by the development of CT angiography. The role of multiphase post-mortem computed tomography angiography (multiphase PMCTA) is primordial, improving detection of solid organ lesions and permitting vascular lesions to be visualized directly. Our paper presents a series of three deaths by falling from a considerable height recorded since the beginning of 2012. We report the usefulness of PMCTA and the various mechanisms involved in the trauma. Most of the lesions were diagnosed by both PMCTA and autopsy, including the rare lesions, but the peripheral bone lesions and the hemopneumatocele were diagnosed only by PMCTA, while dislocation of vertebrae and the testicular fractures were detected solely by autopsy. PMCTA is a new, minimally-invasive technique which, combined with autopsy, provides better visualization and detection of certain lesions, particularly in the case of death by falling from a great height.