Department of Legal Medicine, Catholic University, School of Medicine, Rome, Italy.
Forensic Sci Int. 2010 Feb 25;195(1-3):e13-7. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.11.001. Epub 2009 Dec 1.
Modern imaging technologies, such as computed tomography (CT) techniques, represent a great challenge in forensic pathology. The field of forensics has experienced a rapid increase in the use of these new techniques to support investigations on critical cases, as indicated by the implementation of CT scanning by different forensic institutions worldwide. Advances in CT imaging techniques over the past few decades have finally led some authors to propose that virtual autopsy, a radiological method applied to post-mortem analysis, is a reliable alternative to traditional autopsy, at least in certain cases. The authors investigate the occurrence and the causes of errors and mistakes in diagnostic imaging applied to virtual autopsy. A case of suicide by a gunshot wound was submitted to full-body CT scanning before autopsy. We compared the first examination of sectional images with the autopsy findings and found a preliminary misdiagnosis in detecting a peritoneal lesion by gunshot wound that was due to radiologist's error. Then we discuss a new emerging issue related to the risk of diagnostic failure in virtual autopsy due to radiologist's error that is similar to what occurs in clinical radiology practice.
现代成像技术，如计算机断层扫描（CT）技术，对法医病理学来说是一个巨大的挑战。由于全球不同法医机构都在实施 CT 扫描，法医领域在使用这些新技术支持关键案件调查方面经历了快速增长。过去几十年中 CT 成像技术的进步终于促使一些作者提出，虚拟解剖，一种应用于死后分析的放射学方法，至少在某些情况下是传统解剖的可靠替代方法。作者调查了应用于虚拟解剖的诊断成像中错误和失误的发生和原因。一例枪伤自杀者在尸检前接受了全身 CT 扫描。我们将第一次检查的断层图像与尸检结果进行了比较，发现放射科医生的错误导致初步误诊了枪击伤引起的腹膜病变。然后，我们讨论了一个与由于放射科医生的错误导致虚拟解剖中诊断失败的风险相关的新出现问题，这与临床放射学实践中发生的问题类似。
